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BOOK OF THE HUDSON 



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BOOK OF THE HUDSON 



COLLECTED FROM THE VARIOUS WORKS OF 



EDITED BY GEOFFREY CRAYON. 



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NEW YORK: 
G. p. PUTNAM, 155 BROADWAY, 

1849. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by 

GEORGE P. PUTNAM, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of 
New York. 



R. CRAIOHEAD, PRINTER AND STKRKOTYPKR, 
112 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 






CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction 7 

communipaw 11 

Guests from Gibbet Island 15 

Peter Stuyvesant's Voyage up the Hudson ... 28 

The Chronicle of Bearn Island 35 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 43 

DoLPn Hey-liger 77 

Rip Van Winkle 142 

Wolfert Webber 161 



INTRODUCTION. 



I THANK God that I was born on the banks of the Hudson. I 
fancy I can trace much of what is good and pleasant in my own 
heterogeneous compound to my early companionship with this glorious 
river. In the warmth of youthful enthusiasm, I used to clothe it with 
moral attributes, and, as it were, give it a soul. I delighted in its frank, 
bold, honest character; its noble sincerity, and perfect truth. Here was 
no specious, smiling surface, covering the shifting sand-bar and per- 
fidious rock, but a stream deep as it was broad, and bearing with honora- 
ble faith the bark that trusted to its waves. I gloried in its simple, 
quiet, majestic, epic flow, ever straight forward, or, if forced aside for 
once by opposing mountains, struggling bravely through them, and re- 
suming its onward march. Behold, thought I, an emblem of a good 
man's course though life, ever simple, open, and direct, or if, overpowered 
by adverse circumstances, he deviate into error, it is but momentary ; 
he soon resumes his onward and honorable career, and continues it to 
the end of his pilgrimage. 

The foregoing rhapsody formed part of a paper addressed some years 
since to the editor of a periodical work, introducing certain legends and 
traditions concerning the Hudson river, found among the papers of the 
late Diedrich Knickerbocker. That worthy and truthful historian was one 
of my earliest and most revered friends, and I owe many of the pleasant 
associations in my mind with this river, to information derived in my 
youth from that venerable sage. The legends and traditions in existence 
have hitherto been published in a scattered state, in various miscel- 
laneous works, and mixed up with other writings. It has recently oc- 
curred to me that it would be an acceptable homage to his venerated 
shade, to collect in one volume all that he has written concerning the 
river which he loved so well. It occurred to me also that such a volume 



viii Introtiiictfon. 



might form an agreeable and instructive handboolc to all intelligent and 
inquiring travellers about to explore the wonders and beauties of the 
Hudson. To all such I heartily recommend it, with my best wishes for 
a pleasant voyage, whether by steamboat or railroad. 

GEOFFREY CRAYON. 



B®®i{ ®j ®ji« ^n^Q(s>^, 



COMMUNIPAW. 

It used to be a favorite assertion of the venerable Diedrich 
Knickerbocker, that there was no region more rich in themes 
for the writer of historic novels, heroic melodramas, and 
rough-sho# epics, than the ancient province of the New 
Netherlands, and its quondam capital, at the Manhaltoes. 
" We live," he used to say, " in the midst of history, mystery, 
and romance ; he who would find these elements, however, 
must not seek them among the modem improvements and 
monied people of the monied metropolis ; he must dig for 
them, as for Kidd the pirate's treasures, in out of the way 
places, and among the ruins of the past." Never did sage 
speak more truly. Poetry and romance received a fatal blow 
at the overthrow of the ancient Dutch dynasty, and have ever 
since been gradually withering under the growing domination 
of the Yankees. They abandoned our hearths when the old 
Dutch tiles were superseded by marble chimney pieces ; when 
brass andirons made way for polished grates, and the crack- 
ling and blazing fire of nut wood gave place to the smoke and 
stench of Liverpool coal ; and on the downfall of the last 
crow-step gables, their requiem was tolled from the tower of 
the Dutch Church in Nassau street, by the old bell that came 
from Holland. But poetry and romance still lurk unseen 
among us, or seen only by the enlightened few who are able 
to contemplate the common-place scenes and objects of the 



12 «l JJooft of tt)« ?^utjaon. 



metropolis, through the medium of tradition, and clothed with 
the associations of foregone ages. 

He who would seek these elements in the country, must 
avoid all turnpikes, railroads, steamboats, and other abomina- 
ble inventions, by which the usurping Yankees are strengthen- 
ing themselves in the land, and subduing everything to utility 
and common-place. He must avoid all towns and cities ot 
white clapboard palaces, and Grecian temples, studded with 
" academies," " seminaries," and " institutes," which glisten 
along our bays and rivers ; these are the strongholds of Yankee 
usurpation ; but should he haply light upon some rough, ram- 
bling road, wmding between stone fences, grey with moss, and 
overgrown with elder, poke berry, mullein, and sweet brier, 
and here and there a low, red-roofed, whitewashed farm- 
house, cowering among apple and cherry trees ; an old stone 
church, with elms, willows, and button-wood, as aid looking 
as itself, and tombstones almost buried in their own graves, 
and peradventure a small log-built school-house, at a cross- 
road, where the English language is still taught, with a thick- 
ness of the tongue instead of a twang of the nose, he may thank 
his stars that he has found one of the lingering haimts of 
poetry and romance. 

Among these favored places, the renowned village of Com- 
munipaw was ever held by the historian of New Amsterdam 
in especial veneration. Here the intrepid crew of the Goede 
Vrouw first cast the seeds of empire. Hence proceeded the 
expedition under Oloffe, the Dreamer, to found the city of New 
Amsterdam, vulgarly called New York, which, inheriting the 
genius of its founder, has ever been a city of dreams and 
speculations. Communipaw, therefore, may truly be called 
the parent of New York, though, on comparing the lowly vil- 
lage Vv^ith the great flaunting city which it has engendered, one 
is forcibly reminded of a squat little hen that has unwit- 
tingly hatched out' a long-legged turkey. 

It is a mirror also of New Amsterdam, as it was before the 
conquest. Everything bears the stamp of the days of Oloffe, 



(CDmmuntpafc 13 



the Dreamer, Walter, the Doubter, and the other worthies 
of the golden age ; the same gable-fronted houses, sur- 
mounted with weathercocks, the same knee-buckles and 
shoe-buckles, and close quilled caps, and linsey woolsey petti- 
coats, and multifarious breeches. In a word, Communipaw is 
a little Dutch Herculaneum or Pompeii, where the reliques of 
the classic days of the New Netherlands are preserved in their 
pristine state, with the exception that they have never been 
buried. 

The secret of all this wonderful conservation is simple. At 
the time that New Amsterdam was subjugated by the Yankees 
and their British allies, as Spain was, in ancient days, by the 
Saracens, a great dispersion took place among the inhabitants. 
One resolute band determined never to bend their necks to the 
yoke of the invaders, and, led by Garret Van Home, a gigantic 
Dutchman, the Pelaye of the New Netherlands, crossed the 
bay, and buried themselves among the marshes of Communi- 
paw, as did the Spaniards of yore among the Asturian moun- 
tains. Here they cut off all communication with the captured 
city, forbade the English language to be spoken in their com- 
munity, kept themselves free from foreign marriage and inter- 
mixture, and have thus remained the pure Dutch seed of the 
Manhattoes, with which the city may be repeopled, whenever 
it is effectually delivered from the Yankees, 

The citadel erected by Garret Van Home exists to this day 
in possession of his descendants, and is known by the lordly 
appellation of The House of the four Chimneys, from having a 
chimney perched like a turret at every comer. Here are to be 
seen articles of furniture wliich came over with the first settlers 
from Holland ; ancient chests of drawers, and massive clothes 
presses, quaintly carved, and waxed and polished until they shine 
like mirrors. Here are old black letter volumes with brass 
clasps, printed of yore in Leyden, and handed down from 
generation to generation, but never read. Also old parchment 
deeds in Dutch and English, bearing the seals of the early 
governors of the province. 



14 S JSnoft of ti)e J^uliaon. 



In this house the primitive Dutch Holy Days of Paas and 
Pinxter, are faithfully kept up, and New Year celebrated with 
cookies and cherry bounce ; nor is the festival of the good St. 
Nicholas forgotten ; when all the children are sure to hang up 
their stockings, and to have them filled according to their 
deserts ; though it is said the good Saint is occasionally per- 
plexed in his nocturnal visits, which chimney to descend. A 
tradition exists concerning this mansion, which, however 
dubious it may seem, is treasured up with good faith by the 
inhabitants. It is said that at the founding of it St. Nicholas 
took it luider his protection, and the Dutch Dominie of the 
place, who was a kind of soothsayer, predicted that as long 
as these four chimneys stood Communipaw would flourish. 
Now it came to pass that some years since, during the great 
mania for land speculation, a Yankee speculator found his way 
into the Communipaw ; bewildered the old burghers with a 
project to erect their village into a great sea-port ; made a 
lithographic map, in which their oyster beds were transformed 
into docks and quays, their cabbage gardens laid out in town 
lots and squares, and the House of the Four Chimneys meta- 
morphosed into a great bank, with granite pillars, which was 
to enrich the whole neighborhood with paper money. 

Fortunately at this juncture there rose a high wind, which 
shook the venerable pile to its foundation, toppled down one of 
the chimneys, and blew off" a weathercock, the lord knows 
whither. The community took the alarm, they drove the land 
speculator from their shores, and since that day not a Yankee 
has dared to show his face in Communipaw. 

The following legend concerning this venerable place waa 
found among the papers of the authentic Diedrich. 



«!3ooftofttefftulr«on. 15 



GUESTS FROM GIBBET ISLAND. 

A LEGEND OF COMMUNIPAW. 

Whoever has visited the ancient and renowned village of 
Communipaw, may have noticed an old stone building, of most 
ruinous and sinister appearance. The doors and window- 
shutters are ready to drop from their hinges ; old clothes are 
stuffed in the broken panes of glass, while legions of half- 
starved dogs prowl about the premises, and rush out and bark 
at every passer by ; for your beggarly house in a village is 
most apt to swarm with profligate and ill-conditioned dogs. 
What adds to the sinister appearance of this mansion, is a tall 
frame in front, not a little resembling a gallows, and which 
looks as il waiting to accommodate some of the inhabitants with 
a well-merited airing. It is not a gallows, however, but an 
ancient sign-post ; for this dwelling, in the golden days of 
Communipaw, was one of the most orderly and peacefiil of 
village taverns, where all the public affairs of Communipaw 
were talked and smoked over. In fact, it was in this very 
building that Oloffe the Dreamer, and his companions, con- 
certed that great voyage of discovery and colonization, in 
which they explored Buttermilk Channel, were nearly ship- 
wrecked in the strait of Hell-gate, and finally landed on the Isl- 
and of Manhattan, and founded the great city of New Amsterdam. 

Even after the province had been cruelly wrested from the 
sway of their High Mightinesses, by the combined forces of 
the British and the Yankees, this tavern continued its ancient 
loyalty. It is true, the head of the Prince of Orange dis- 
appeared from the sign ; a strange bird being painted over it, 
with the explanatory legend of " Die Wilde Gans," or The 
Wild Goose ; but this all the world knew to be a sly riddle of 



X6 a 13ook of t^e l^ubgon. 



the landlord, the worthy Teunis Van Gieson, a knowing man 
in a small way, who laid his finger beside his nose and winked, 
when any one studied the signification of his sign, and observed 
that his goose was hatching, but would join the flock when- 
ever they flew over the water ; an enigma which was the 
perpetual recreation and delight of the loyal but fat-headed 
burghers of Communipaw. 

Under the sway of this patriotic, though discreet and quiet 
publican, the tavern continued to flourish in primeval tran- 
quillity, and was the resort of all true-hearted Nederlanders, 
from all parts of Pavonia ; who met here quietly and secretly, 
to smoke and drink the downfall of Briton and Yankee, and 
success to Admiral Von Tromp. 

The only drawback on the comfort of the establishment, 
was a nephew of mine host, a sister's son, Yan Yost Vander- 
scamp by name, and a real scamp by nature. It is an old 
Spanish proverb, worthy of all acceptation, that " where God 
denies sons the devil sends nephews," and such was the case 
in the present instance. This unlucky whipster showed an 
early propensity to mischief, which he gratified in a small 
way, by playing tricks upon the frequenters of the Wild 
Goose ; putting gunpowder in their pipes or squibs in their 
pockets, and astonishing them with an explosion, while they 
sat nodding round the fire-place in the bar-room ; and if 
perchance a worthy burgher from some distant part of Pa- 
vonia lingered until dark over his potation, it was odds but 
that yoxmg Vanderscamp would slip a brier under his horse's 
tail, as he mounted, and send him clattering along the road, in 
neck-or-nothing style, to his infinite astonishment and dis- 
comfiture. 

It may be wondered at, that mine host of the Wild Goose 
did not turn such a graceless varlet out of doors ; but Teunis 
Van Gieson was an easy-tempered man, and, having no child 
of his own, looked upon his nephew with almost parental in- 
dulgence. His patience and good nature were doomed to be 
tried by another inmate of his mansion. This was a cross- 



(GtuegtafromfiStbfietlslant). 17 



grained cunnudgeon of a negro, named Pluto, who was a kind 
of enigma in Communipaw. Where he came from, nobody 
knew. He was found one morning, after a storm, cast like a 
sea-monster on the strand, in front of the Wild Goose, and lay 
there, more dead than alive. The neighbors gathered round, 
and speculated on this production of the deep ; whether it were 
iish or flesh, or a compound of both, commonly yclept a 
merman. The kind-hearted Tennis Van Gieson, seeing that 
he wore the human form, took him into his house, and warmed 
him into life. By degrees, he showed signs of intelligence, and 
even uttered sounds very much like language, but which no 
one in Communipaw could understand. Some thought him a 
negro just from Guinea, who had either fallen overboard, or 
escaped from a slave-ship. Nothmg, however, could ever 
draw from him any account of his origin. When questioned 
on the subject, he merely pointed to Gibbet Island, a small 
rocky islet, which lies in the open bay just opposite to Com- 
munipaw, as if that were his native place, though eveiybody 
knew it had never been inhabited. 

In the process of time, he acquired something of the Dutch 
language, that is to say, he learnt all its vocabulary of oaths 
and maledictions, with just words sufficient to string them 
together. " Donder en blicksem !' (thunder and lightning) was 
the gentlest of his ejaculations. For years he kept about the 
Wild Goose, more like one of those familiar spirits, or house- 
hold goblins, that we read of, than like a human being. He 
acknowledged allegiance to no one, but performed various 
domestic offices, when it suited his humor ; waiting occasion- 
ally on the guests ; grooming the horses, cutting wood, drawing 
water ; and all this without being ordered. Lay any command 
on him, and the stubborn sea-urchin was sure to rebel. He was 
never so much at home, however, as when on the water, plsdng 
about in skiff or canoe, entirely alone, fishing, crabbing, or 
grabbing for oysters, and would bring home quantities for the 
larder of the Wild Goose, which he would throw down at the 
kitchen door with a growl. No wind nor weather deterred 



18 a J3ooft of tf)t ^utjson. 



him from launching forth on his favorite element : indeed, thft 
wilder the weather, the more he seemed to enjoy it. If a 
storm was brewing, he was sure to put off from shore ; and 
would be seen far out in the bay, his light skiff dancing like a 
feather on the waves, when sea and sky were all in a turmoil, 
and the stoutest ships were fain to lower their sails. Some- 
times, on such occasions, he would be absent for days together. 
How he weathered the tempests, and how and where he 
subsisted, no one could divine, nor did any one venture to ask, 
for all had an almost superstitious awe of him. Some of the 
Communipaw oystermen declared that they had more than 
once seen him suddenly disappear, canoe and all, as if they 
plunged beneath the waves, and after a while come up again, 
in quite a different part of the bay ; whence they concluded that 
he could live under water like that notable species of wild 
duck, commonly called the Hell-diver. All began to consider 
him in the light of a foul-weather bird, like the Mother Carey's 
Chicken, or stormy Petrel ; and whenever they saw him putting 
far out in his skiff, in cloudy weather, made up their minds for 
a storm. 

The only being for whom he seemed to have any lildng, was 
Yan Yost Vanderscamp, and him he liked for his very 
wickedness. He in a manner took the boy under his tutelage, 
prompted him to all kinds of mischief, aided him in every wild 
harum-scarum freak, until the lad became the complete scape- 
grace of the village ; a pest to his uncle, and to every one else. 
Nor were his pranks confined to the land ; he soon learned to 
accompany old Pluto on the water. Together these worthies 
would cnaise about the broad bay, and all the neighboring 
straits and rivers ; poking around in skiffs and canoes ; robbing 
the set nets of the fishermen ; landing on remote coasts, and 
laying waste orchards and water-melon patches ; in short, 
carrying on a complete system of piracy, on a small scale. 
Piloted by Pluto, the youthful Vanderscamp soon became 
acquainted with all the bays, rivers, creeks, and inlets of the 
watery world around him ; could navigate from the Hook to 



aScVLCSta from CiJjfirt Cslanti. 19 



Spitiiig-devil on the darkest night, and learned to set even the 
terrors of Hell-gate at defiance. 

, At length, negro and boy suddenly disappeared, and days 
and weeks elapsed, but \vithout tidings of them. Some said 
they must have run away and gone to sea ; others jocosely 
hinted, that old Pluto, being no other than a namesake in dis- 
guise, had spirited away the boy to the nether regions. All, how- 
ever, agreed in one thing, that the village was well rid of them. 

In the process of tmie, the good Tennis Van Gieson slept 
with his fathers, and the tavern remained shut up, waiting for a 
claimant, for the next heir was Yan Yost Vanderscamp, and 
he had not been heard of for years. At length, one day, a 
boat was seen pulling for shore, from a long, black, rakish- 
looking schooner, which lay at anchor in the bay. The boat's 
crew seemed worthy of the craft from which they debarked. 
Never had such a set of noisy, roistering, swaggering varlets 
landed in peaceful Communipaw. They were outlandish in 
garb and demeanor, and were headed by a rough, burly, bully 
ruffian, with fiery whiskers, a copper nose, a scar across his 
face, and a great Flaunderish beaver slouched on one side of his 
head, in whom, to their dismay, the quiet inhabitants were 
made to recognise their early pest, Yan Yost Vanderscamp. 
The rear of this hopeful gang was brought up by old Pluto, 
who had lost an eye, groM^n grizzly-headed, and looked more 
like the devil than ever. Vanderscamp renewed his acquaintance 
with the old burghers, much against their will, and in a 
manner not at all to their taste. He slapped them familiarly 
on the back, gave them an iron grip of the hand, and was hail 
fellow well met. According to his own account, he had been 
all the world over ; had made money by bags full ; had ships 
in every sea, and now meant to turn the Wild Goose into a 
country-seat, where he and his comrades, all rich merchants 
from foreign parts, might enjoy themselves in the interval of 
their voyages. 

Sure enough, in a little while there was a. complete meta- 
morphose of the Wild Goose. From being a quiet, peaceful 



20 a iU k f t f) c ?L1 u tJ s n . 



Dutch public house, it became a most riotous, uproarioua 
private dwelling ; a complete rendezvous for boisterous men 
of the seas, w^ho came here to have what they call a " blow 
out" on dry land, and might be seen at all hours lounging 
about the door, or lolling out of the windows ; swearing 
among themselves, and cracking rough jokes on every passer 
by. The house was fitted up, too, in so strange a manner : 
hammocks slung to the walls, instead of bedsteads ; odd 
kinds of furniture, of foreign fashion ; bamboo couches, 
Spanish chairs ; pistols, cutlasses, and blunderbusses, sus- 
pended on every peg ; silver crucifixes on the mantel-pieces, 
silver candlesticks and porringers on the tables, contrasting 
oddly with the pewter and Delf ware of the original establish- 
ment. And then the strange amusements of these sea- 
monsters ! Pitching Spanish dollars, instead of quoits ; firing 
blunderbusses out of the window ; shooting at a mark, or at 
any unhappy dog, or cat, or pig, or barn-door fowl, that 
might happen to come within reach. 

The only being who seemed to relish their rough waggery, 
was old Pluto ; and yet he led but a dog's life of it ; for they 
practised all kinds of manual jokes upon him ; kicked him 
about like a foot-ball ; shook him by his grizzly mop of wool, 
and never spoke to him without coupling a curse by way of 
adjective to his name, and consigning him to the infernal 
regions. The old fellow, however, seemed to like them the 
better, the more they cursed him, though his utmost ex- 
pression of pleasure never amounted to more than the growl 
of a petted bear, when his ears are rubbed. 

Old Pluto was the ministering spirit at the orgies of the 
Wild Goose ; and such orgies as took place there ! Such 
drinking, singing, whooping, swearing ; with an occasional in- 
terlude of quarrelling and fighting. The noisier grew the 
revel, the more old Pluto plied the potations, until the 
guests would become frantic in their merriment, smashing 
everything to pieces, and throwing the house out of the 
windows. Sometimes, after a drmking bout, they sallied 



Guests from diljbftJiglan to. 21 



forth and scoured the village, to the dismay 'of the worthy 
burghers, who gathered their women within doors, and would 
have shut up the house. Vanderscamp, however, was not to 
be rebuffed. He ijisisted on renewing acquaintance with his 
old neighbors, and on introducing his friends, the merchants, 
to their families ; swore he was on the look-out for a wife, 
and meant, before he stopped, to find husbands for all their 
daughters. So, will-ye, nill-ye, sociable he was ; swaggered 
about their best parlors, with his hat on one side of his head ; 
sat on the good wife's nicely-waxed mahogany table, kickmg 
his heels against the carved and polished legs ; kissed and 
tousled the young vrouws ; and, if they frowned and pouted, 
gave them a gold roL-ary, or a sparkling cross, to put them in 
good humor again. 

Sometimes nothing would satisfy him, but he must have 
some of his old neighbors to dinner at the Wild Goose. 
There was no refusing him, for he had got the complete 
upper hand of the community, and the peaceful burghers all 
stood in awe of him. But what a time would the quiet, 
worthy men have, among the.e rake-hells, who would delight 
to astound them with the most extravagant gunpowder tales, 
embroidered with all kinds of foreign oaths ; clink the can 
with them ; pledge, them in deep potations ; bawl drinking 
songs in their ears ; and occasionally fire pistols over their 
head,^, or under the table, and then laugh in their faces, and 
ask them how they liked the smell of gunpowder. 

Thus was the little village of Communipaw for a time like 
the unfortunate v»-ight possessed with devils ; until Vander- 
scamp and his brother m.erchants would sail on another trading 
voyage, when the Wild Goo.-e would be shut up, and everything 
relapse into quiet, only to be disturbed by his next visitation. 

The mystery of all these proceedings gradually dawned 
upon the tardy intellects of Communipaw. These were the 
times of the notorious Captain Kidd, when the American 
harbors were the resorts of piratical adventurers of all kinds, 
who, under pretext of mercantile voyages, scoured the West 



SL 33ooft of ti)£ f^ubson 



Indies, made plundering descents upon the Spanish Main, 
visited even the remote Indian Seas, and then came to dispose 
of their booty, have their revels, and fit out new expeditions, in 
the English colonies. 

Vanderscamp had served in this hopeful school, and having 
risen to importance among the buccaneers, had pitched upon 
his native village and early home, as a quiet, out-of-the way, 
unsuspected place, where he and his comrades, while an- 
chored at New York, might have their feasts, and concert 
their plans, without molestation. 

At length the attention of the British government was called 
to these piratical enterprises, that were becoming so frequent 
and outrageous. Vigorous measures were taken to check and 
punish them. Several of the most noted freebooters were caught 
and executed, and three of Vanderscamp's chosen comrades, the 
most riotous swash-bucklers of the Wild Goose, were hanged 
in chains on Gibbet Island, in full sight of their favorite 
resort. As to Vanderscamp himself, he and his man Pluto 
again disappeared, and it was hoped by the people of Com- 
munipaw that he had fallen in some foreign brawl, or been 
swung on some foreign gallows. 

For a time, therefore, the tranquillity of the village was re- 
stored ; the worthy Dutchmen once more smoked their pipes in 
peace, eyeing, with peculiar complacency, their old pests 
and terrors, the pirates, dangling and drying in the sun, on 
Gibbet Island. 

This perfect calm was doomed at length to be ruffled. The 
fiery persecution of the pirates gradually subsided. Justice 
was satisfied with the examples that had been made, and there 
was no more talk of Kidd, and the other heroes of like kidney. 
On a calm summer evening, a boat, somewhat heavily laden, 
was seen pulling into Communipaw. What was the surprise 
and disquiet of the inhabitants, to see Yan Yost Vanderscamp 
seated at the helm, and his man Pluto tugging at the oar. 
Vanderscamp, however, was apparently an altered man. He 
prought home with him a wife, who seemed to be a shrew, and 



Cu£2t3 from Gibbet Islanti. 23 



to have the upper hand of him. He no longer was the swag- 
gering, bully ruffian, but affected the regular merchant, and 
talked of retiring from business, and settling down quietly, to 
pass the rest of his days in his native place. 

The Wild Goose mansion was again opened, but with 
diminished splendor, and no riot. It is true, Vanderscamp had 
frequent nautical visitors, and the sound of revelry was occa- 
sionally overheard in his house ; but everything seemed to be 
done under the rose ; and old Pluto was the only servant that 
officiated at these orgies. The visitors, indeed, were by no 
means of the turbulent stamp of their predecessors ; but quiet, 
mysterious traders, full of nods, and winks, and hieroglyphic 
signs, with whom, to use their cant phrase, " everything was« 
smug." Their ships came to anchor at night, in the lower 
bay ; and, on a private signal, Vanderscamp would launch his 
boat, and, accompanied solely by his man Pluto, would make 
them mysterious visits. Sometimes boats pulled in at night, in 
front of the Wild Goose, and various articles of merchandise 
were landed in the dark, and spirited away, nobody knew whither- 
One of the more curious of the inhabitants kept watch, and 
caught a glimpse of the features of some of these night visi- 
tors, by the casual glance of a lantern, and declared that he 
recognised more than oife of the freebooting frequenters of the 
Wild Goose, in former times ; from whence he concluded that 
Vanderscamp was at his old game, and that this mysterious 
merchandise was nothing more nor less than piratical plunder. 
The more charitable opinion, however, was, that Vanderscamp 
and his comrades, having been driven from their old line of 
business, by the " oppressions of government," had resorted to 
smuggling to make both ends meet. 

Be that as it may : I come now to the extraordinary fact, 
which is the butt-end of this story. It happened late one 
night, than Yan Yost Vanderscamp was returning across the 
broad bay, in his light skiff, rowed by his man Pluto. He had 
been carousing on board of a vessel, newly arrived, and was 
somewhat obfuscated in intellect, by the liquid he had imbibed. 



24 S 33o«ft of tf)c ?^utison. 



It was a still, sultry night ; a heavy mass of lurid clouds was 
rising in the west, with the low muttering of distant thunder. 
Vanderscamp called on Pluto to pull lustily, that they might 
get home before the gathering storm. The old negro made no 
reply, but shaped his course so as to skirt the rocky shores of 
Gibbet Island. A faint creaking overhead caused Vanderscamp 
to cast up his eyes, when, to his horror, he beheld the bodies of 
his three pot companions and brothers in iniquity, dangling in 
the moonlight, their rags fluttering, and their chains creaking, 
as they were slowly swung backward and forward by the rising 
breeze. 

" What do you mean, you blockhead," cried Vanderscamp, 
" by pulling so close to the island V 

" I thought you'd be glad to see your old friends once more," 
growled the negro ; " you were never afraid of a living man, 
what do you fear from the dead V 

" Who's afraid V hiccupped Vanderscamp, partly heated by 
liquor, partly nettled by the jeer of the negro ; " who's afraid ? 
Hang me, but I would be glad to see them once more, alive or 
dead, at the Wild Goose. Come, my lads in the wind," con- 
tinued he, taking a draught, and flourishing the bottle above 
his head, " here's fair weather to you in the other world ; and 
if you should be walking the rounds* to-night, odds* fish, but 
I'll be happy if you will drop in to supper." 

A dismal creaking was the only reply. The wind blew 
loud and shrill, and as it whistled round the gallows, and 
among the bones, sounded as if there were laughing and gib- 
bering in the air. Old Pluto chuckled to himself, and now 
pulled for homo. The storm burst over the voyagers, while 
they were yet far from shore. The rain fell in torrents, tho 
thunder crashed and pealed, and the lightning kept up an in- 
cessant blaze. It was stark midnight before they landed at 
Communipaw. 

Dripping and shivering, Vanderscamp crawled homeward. 
He was completely sobered by the storm ; the water soaked 
*rom without having diluted and cooled the liquor within. 



(KucgtB from (Kifibet Cslanti. 25 



Arrived at the Wild Goose, he knocked timidly and dubiously 
at the door, for he dreaded the reception he was to experience 
from his wife. He had reason to do so. She met liim at the 
threshold, in a precious ill-humor. 

" Is this a time," said she, " to keep people out of their beds, 
and to bring home company, to turn the house upside down V 

" Company 1" said Vanderscamp meekly, " I have brought 
no company with me, wife." 

" No, indeed ! they have got here before you, but by your 
invitation ; and a blessed looking company they are, tmly." 

Vanderscamp's knees smote together. " For the love of 
heaven, where are they, wife 1" 

" Where ? — why in the blue room, up stairs, making them- 
selves as much at home as if the house were their own." 

Vanderscamp made a desperate effort, scrambled up to the 
room, and threw open the door. Sure enough, there at a table 
on which burned a light as blue as brimstone, sat the three 
guests from Gibbet Island, with halters round their necks, and 
bobbing their cups together, as if they were hob-or-nobbing, 
and trolling the old Dutch freebooter's glee, since translated 
into English : 

" For three merry lads be we, 
And three merry lads be we ; 
I on the land, and thou on the sand, 
And Jack on the gallows tree." 

Vanderscamp saw and heard no more. Starting back wdth 
horror, he missed his footing on the landing place, and fell 
from the top of the stairs to the bottom. He was taken up 
speechless, and, either from the fall or the fright, was buried in 
the yard of the little Dutch Church at Bergen, on the follow- 
ing Sunday. 

From that day forward, the fate of the Wild Goose was 
sealed. It was pronounced a haunted house, and avoided ac- 
cordingly. No one inhabited it but Vanderscamp's shrew of a 
widow, and old Pluto, and they were considered but little bet- 



26 fl!3oofeoft5e?^ul3son. 



ter than its hobgoblin visitors. Pluto grew more and mora 
haggard and morose, and looked more like an imp of darkness 
than a human being. He spoke to no one, but went about 
muttering to hunself ; or, as some hinted, talking with the devil, 
who, though unseen, was ever at his elbow. Now and then 
he was seen pulling about the bay alone, in his skiff, in dark 
weather, or at the approach of night-fall ; nobody could tell 
why, unless on an errand to invite more guests from the gal- 
lows. Indeed it was affirmed that the Wild Goose still con- 
tinued to be a house of entertainment for such guests, and that 
on stormy nights the blue chamber was occasionally illuminated, 
and sounds of diabolical merriment were overheard, mingling with 
the howling of the tempest. Some treated these as idle stories, 
until on one such night — it was about the time of the equinox — 
there was a horrible uproar in the Wild Goose, that could not 
be mistaken. It was not so much the sound of revelry, how- 
ever, as strife, with two or three piercing shrieks, that per- 
vaded every part of the village. Nevertheless, no one thought 
of hastening to the spot. On the contrary', the honest burghers 
of Communipaw drew their nightcaps over their ears, and 
buried their heads under the bed-clothes, at the thoughts of 
Vanderscamp and his gallows companions. 

The next morning, some of the bolder and more curious 
undertook to reconnoitre. All was quiet and lifeless at the 
Wild Goose. The door yawned wide open, and had evidently 
been open all night, for the storm had beaten into the house. 
Gathering more courage from the silence and apparent deser- 
tion, they gradually ventured over the threshold. The house 
had indeed the air of having been possessed by devils. Every- 
thing was topsy turvy ; trunks had been broken open, and 
chests of drawers and corner cupboards turned inside out, aa 
in a time of general sack and pillage ; but the most woful 
sight was the widow of Yan Yost Vanderscamp, extended a 
corpse on the floor of the blue chamber, with the marks of a 
deadly gripe on the windpipe. 

All now was conjecture and dismay at Communipaw ; and 



©uests from <5ibl)et Islani. 27 



the disappearance of old Pluto, who was nowhere .to be found, 
gave rise to all kinds of wild surmises. Some suggested that 
the negro had betrayed the house to some of Vanderscamp's 
buccaneering associates, and that they had decamped together 
with the booty ; others sui-mised that the negro was nothing 
more nor less than a devil incarnate, who had now accom- 
plished his ends, and made off with his dues. 

Events, however, vindicated the negro from this last imputa- 
tion. His skiff was picked up, drifting about the bay, bottom 
upwards, as if wrecked in a tempest ; and his body was found, 
shortly afterwards, by some Communipaw fishermen, stranded 
among the rocks of Gibbet Island, near the foot of the pirates' 
gallows. The fishermen shook their heads, and observed that 
old Pluto had ventured once too often to invito Guests from 
Gibbet Island. 



a 33ooft of tt)e ?^uti»on, 



PETER STUYVESANT'S VOYAGE UP THE HUDSON. 

FROM THE HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

Now did the soft breezes of the south steal sweetly over the 
face of nature, tempering the panting heats of summer into 
genial and prolific warmth ; when that miracle of hardihood 
and chivalric virtue, the dauntless Peter Stuyvesant, spread his 
canvas to the wind, and departed from the fair Island 
of Manna-hata. The galley in which he embarked was 
sumptuously adorned with pendants and streamers of gorgeous 
dyes, which fluttered gayly in the wind, or drooped their ends 
into the bosom of the stream. The bow and poop of this 
majestic vessel were gallantly bedight, after the rarest Dutch 
fashion, with figures of little pursy Cupids with periwigs on 
their heads, and bearing in their hands garlands of flowers, the 
like of which are not to be found in any book of botany ; 
being the matchless flowers which flourished in the golden age, 
and exist no longer, unless it be in the imaginations of inge- 
nious carvers of wood and discolorers of canvas. JL 

Thus rarely decorated, in style befitting the puissant potentate 
of the Manhattoes, did the galley of Peter Stuyvesant launch 
forth upon the bosom of the lordly Hudson, which, as it rolled 
its broad waves to the ocean, seemed to pause for a while and 
swell with pride, as if conscious of the illustrious burden it 
sustained. 

But trust me, gentlefolk, far other was the scene presented to 
the contemplation of the crew from that which may be 
witnessed at this degenerate day. Wildness and savage 
majesty reigned on the borders of this mighty rivei- — the hand 
of cultivation had not as yet laid low the dark forest, and 
tamed the features of the landscape — nor had the frequent sail 
of commerce broken in upon the profound and awful solitude 



^ctcr StU2&f isant'g Fojjagc up tfje f^utjson. 29 



of ages. Here and there might be seen a rude wigwam perched 
among the cliffs of the mountains with its curling column of 
smoke mounting in the transparent atmosphere — but so loftily 
situated that the whoopings of the savage children, gambolling 
on the margin of the dizzy heights, fell almost as faintly on 
the ear as do the notes of the lark, when lost in the azure vault 
of heaven. Now and then, from the beetling brow of some 
precipice, the wild deer would look timidly down upon the 
splendid pageant as it passed below ; and then, tossing his 
antlers in the air, would bound away into the thickets of the 
forest. 

Through such scenes did the stately vessel of Peter Stuyve- 
sant pass. Now did they skirt the bases of the rocky heights 
of Jersey, which spring up like everlasting walls, reaching from 
the waves unto the heavens, and were fashioned, if tradition 
may be believed, in times long past, by the mighty spirit 
Manetho, to protect his favoftte abodes from the unhallowed 
eyes of mortals. Now did they career it gayly across the vast 
expanse of Tappan Bay, whose wide-extended shores present a 
variety of delectable scenery — here the bold promontory, 
crowned with embowering trees, advancing into the bay — there 
the long woodland slope, sweeping up from the shore in rich 
luxuriance, and terminating in the upland precipice — ^while at a 
distance a long waving line of rocky heights threw their 
gigantic shades across the water. Now would they pas3 
where some modest little interval, opening among these stu- 
pendous scenes, yet retreating as it were for protection into the 
embraces of the neighboiing mountains, displayed a mral para- 
dise, fraught with sweet and pastoral beauties ; the velvet-tufted 
lawn — the bushy copse — the twinkling rivulet, stealing through 
the fresh and vivid verdure — on whose banks was situated 
some little Indian village, or, peradventure, the rude cabin of 
some solitary hunter. 

The different periods of the revolving day seemed each, with 
cunning magic, to diffuse a different chaiTn to the scene. 
Now would the jovial sun break gloriously from the east. 



30 a 13ook of tfje J^ulijson. 



blazing from the summits of the hills, and sparkling the land- 
scape with a thousand dewy gems ; while along the borders of 
the river were seen heavy masses of mist, which, like midnight 
caitiffs, disturbed at his approach, made a sluggish retreat, 
rolling in sullen reluctance up the mountains. At such times 
all was brightness, and life, and gayety — the atmosphere was 
of an indescribable pureness and transparency — the birds broke 
forth in wanton madrigals, and the freshening breezes wafted 
the vessel merrily on her course. But when the sun sank 
amid a flood of glory in the west, mantling the heavens and the 
earth with a thousand gorgeous dyes — then all was calm, and 
silent, and magnificent. The late swelling sail hung lifelessly 
against the mast — the seaman, with folded arms, leaned against 
the shrouds, lost in that involuntary musing which the sober 
grandeur of nature commands in the rudest of her children. 
The vast bosom of the Hudson was like an unruffled mirror, 
reflecting the golden splendor of fhe heavens ; excepting that 
now and then a bark canoe would steal across its surface, 
filled with painted savages, whose gay feathers glared brightly, 
as perchance a lingering ray of the setting sun gleamed upon 
them from the western mountains. 

But when the hour of twilight spread its majestic mists 
around, then did the face of nature assume a thousand fugitive 
charms, which to the worthy heart that seeks enjoyment in the 
glorious works of its Maker are inexpressibly captivating. 
The mellow dubious light that prevailed just served to tinge 
with illusive colors the softened features of the scenery. 
The deceived but delighted eye sought vainly to discern in the 
broad masses of shade, the separating line between the land 
and water ; or to distinguish the fading objects that seemed 
sinking into chaos. Now did the busy fancy supply tho 
feebleness of vision, producing with industrious craft a fairy 
creation of her own. Under her plastic wand the barren rocks 
frowned upon the watery waste, in the semblance of lofty 
towers and high embattled castles — trees assumed the direful 
forms of mighty giants, and the inaccessible summits of the 



IP^ter 5tua&«2ant's FogaSf ^9 tf)« ^Bjutson. 31 



mountains seemed peopled with a thousand shadowy be- 
ings. 

Now broke forth from the shores the notes of an innume- 
rable variety of insects, which filled the air with a strange but 
not inharmonious concert — while ever and anon was heard the 
melancholy plaint of the Whip-poor-will, who, perched on 
some lone tree, wearied the ear of night with his incessant 
meanings. The mind, soothed into a hallowed melancholy, 
listened with pensive stillness, to catch and distinguish each 
sound that vaguely echoed from the shore — no\v and then 
startled perchance by the™'hoop of some straggling savage, or 
by the dreary howl of a wolf, stealing forth upon his nightly 
prowlings. 

Thus happily did they pursue their course, until they entered 
upon those awful defiles denominated the Highlands, where it 
would seem that the gigantic Titans had erst waged their 
impious war with heaven, piling up cliffs on cliffs, and hurling 
vast masses of rock in wild confusion. But in sooth very 
different is the history of these cloud-capt mountains. These, 
in ancient days, before the Hudson poured its waters from the 
lakes, formed one vast prison, within whose rocky bosom the 
omnipotent Manetho confined the rebellious spirits who repined 
at his control. Here, bound in adamantine chains, or jammed 
in rifted pines, or crushed by ponderous rocks, they groaned 
for many an age. At length, the conquering Hudson, in its 
career towards the ocean, bm'st open their prison-house, rolling 
its tide triumphantly through the stupendous ruins. 

Still, however, do many of them lurk about their old abodes ; 
and these it is, according to venerable legends, that cause the 
echoes which resound throughout these awful solitudes ; which 
are nothing but their angry clamors when any noise disturbs 
the profoundness of their repose. For when the elements are 
agitated by tempest, when the winds are up and the thunder 
rolls, then horrible is the yelling and howling of these troubled 
spirits, making the mountains to rebellow with their hideous 
uproar ; for at such times it is said that they think the great 



32 ^ 13ook cf lf)£ ?^utJ2on. 



Manetho is returning once more to plunge them in gloomy 
caverns, and renew their intolerable captivity. 

But all these fair and glorious scenes we^e lost upon the 
gallant Stuyvesant ; naught occupied his mind but thoughts of 
iron M^ar, and proud anticipations of hardy deeds of anns. 
Neither did his honest crew trouble their heads with any 
romantic speculations of the kind. The pilot at the helm 
quietly smoked his pipe, thinking of nothing either past, present, 
or to come ; those of his comrades who were not industriously 
smoking ur^der the hatches were listening with open mouths to 
Antony Van Corlear ; who, seatM on the windlass, was 
relating to them the marvellous history of those myriads of 
fireflies, that sparkled like gems and spangles upon the dusky 
robe of night. These, according to tradition, were originally 
a race of pestilent sempiternous beldames, who peopled these 
parts long before the memory of man ; being of that abominated 
race emphatically called brimstones; and who, for their in- 
numerable sins against the children of men, and to furnish an 
awful warning to the beauteous sex, were doomed to infest the 
earth in the shape of these threatening and terrible little bugs ; 
enduring the internal torments of that fire, which they formerly 
carried in their hearts and breathed forth in their words ; but 
now are sentenced to bear about for ever — in their tails ! 

And now I am going to tell a fact, which I doubt much my 
readers will hesitate to believe ; but if they do, they are wel- 
come not to believe a word in this whole history — for nothing 
which it contains is more true. It must be knovra then that 
the nose of Anthony the Trumpeter was of a very lusty size, 
stratting boldly from his countenance like a mountain of Gol- 
conda ; being sumptuously bedecked with nibies and other pre- 
cious stones — the true regalia of a king of good fellows, which 
jolly Bacchus grants to all who bouse it heartily at the flagon. 
Now thus it happened, that bright and early in the morning, 
the good Antony, having washed his burly visage, was leaning 
over the quarter railing of the galley, contemplating it in the 
glassy wave below. Just at this moment the illustrious son. 



^cttx $tU2b«aaut'g Fogagt up Uje |Liu>J8on. 33 



breaking in all his splendor from behind a high bluff of" the 
highlands, did dart one of his most potent beams full upon the 
refulgent nose of the sounder of brass — the reflection of which 
shot straightway down hissing hot, into the water, and killed a 
mighty sturgeon that was sporting beside the vessel ! This 
huge monster, being with infinite labor hoisted on board, 
furnished a luxurious repast to all the crew, being accounted of 
excellent flavor, excepting about the wound, where it smacked 
a little of brimstone — and this, on my veracity, was the first 
time that ever sturgeon was eaten in these parts by Christian 
people.* 

When this astonishing miracle came to be made known to 
Peter Stuyvesant, and that he tasted of the unknown fish, he, 
as may well be supposed, marvelled exceedingly : and as a 
monument thereof, he gave the name of Antony's Nose to a 
stout promontory in the neighborhood — and it has continued to 
be called Anthony's Nose ever since that time. 

But hold : whither am I wandering ? By the mass, if I 
attempt to accompany the good Peter Stuyvesant on this 
voyage, I shall never make an end ; for never was there a 
voyage so fraught with marvellous incidents, nor a river so 
abounding with transcendent beauties, worthy of being severally 
recorded. Even now I have it on the point of my pen to 
relate how his crew were most horribly frightened, on going 
on shore above the highlands, by a gang of merry roistering 
devils, frisking ^d curvetting on a flat rock, which projected 
into the river — and which is called the DuyveVs Dans-Kamer 
to this very day. But no ! Diedrich Knickerbocker — it be- 
comes thee not to idle thus in thy historic wayfarhig. 

Recollect that while dwelling with the fond garrulity of age 
over these fairy scenes, endeared to thee by the recollections of 
thy youth, and the charms of a thousand legendary tales, 

* The learned H:ins Mcgapolonsis, treating of the country about 
Albany, in a letter which was written some time after the settlement 
thereof, says, "There is in the river great plenty of sturgeon which we 
Christians do not make use of, but the Indians eat them greedily." 



34 a3iJookoftf)c?t^uUBon. 



which beguiled the simple ear of thy childhood ; recollect tha 
thou art trifling with those fleeting moments which should be 
devoted to loftier themes. Is not Time — relentless Time ! 
shaking, with palsied hand, his almost exhausted hour-glass 
before thee 1 — hasten then to pursue thy weary task, lest the 
last sands be run ere thou hast finished thy history of the 
Manhattoes. 



"Sri&e Cfirontcle of iScarit Eslanto. 35 



THE CHRONICLE OF BEARN ISLAND.* 

SHOWING THE RISE OF THE GREAT VAN RENSELLAER DYNASTY, 
AND THE FIRST SEEDS OF THE HELDERBERG WAR. Compiled 

from Knickerbocker's Hist, of New York. 

In the golden days of New Amsterdam, according to the 
accounts of its venerable historian, the ambition of its burghers 
contented itself ibr a while within the bounds of the fair island of 
Mannahata, insomuch that Spiten Devil and Hell-gate were to 
them the pillars of Hercules, the ne plus ultra of human enter- 
prise. In process of time, however, the New Amsterdamers began 
to cast wistful looks at the lands of their Indian neighbors ; for 
somehow or other Indian land has a wild flavor to the taste 
of a settler, and looks greener in Ms eyes than the land he 
lawfully occupies. Oloffe the Dreamer, at that time protector 
of New Amsterdam, encouraged these notions ; having the 
inherent spirit of a land speculator, quickened and expanded by 
his having become a landholder. Under his protectorship 
certain exploring expeditions were sent forth " to sow the seeds 
of empire in the wilderness." One of these ascended the Hudson 
and established a frontier post, or trading house, called Fort 
Aurania, on the site of the present venerable City of Albany ; 
which, at that time, was considered the very end of the 
habitable world. With this remote possession the mother city 
of New Amsterdam for a long time held but little intercourse. 
Now and then the company's yacht, as it was called (meaning 
the yacht of the Honorable the East India Company), was sent 
to carry supplies to the fort and to bring away the peltries 
which had been purchased of the Indians. It was like an 
expedition to the Indias, or the North Pole, and always made 
great talk in the settlement. Sometimes an adventurous 

* A rocky island on the Hudson a few miles below Albany. 



36 a 33ooft of tfj? ?i^ulison. 



burgher would accompany the expedition, to the great uneasi- 
ness of his friends ; but, on his return, had so many stories to 
tell of stoiTiis and tempests on the Tappan Zee ; of hobgoblins 
in the Highlands and at the Devils Dans Kammer, and of all 
the other wonders and perils with which the river abounded in 
those early days, that he deterred the less adventurous inhabit- 
ants from following his example. 

Matters remained in this state until the time of Walter the 
Doubter, and Fort Aurania seemed as remote as Oregon in 
modern days. Now so it happened that one day as that most 
dubious of Governors and his burgermeesters were smoking and 
pondering over the affairs of the province, they were roused by 
the report of a cannon. Sallying forth, they beheld a strange 
vessel at anchor in the bay. It was unqvie&tionably of Dutch 
build ; broad bottomed and high pooped, and bore the flag of 
their High Mightinesses at the mast-head. 

After a while a boat put off for land, and a stranger stepped 
on shore, a lofty, lordly kind of man, tall and diy, with a 
meagre face, furnished with huge moustaches. He was clad in 
Flemish doublet and hose, and an insufferably tall hat, with a 
cocktail feather. Such was the patroon Killian Van Rensel- 
laer, who had come out from Holland to found a colony or 
patroonship on a great tract of wild land, granted to him by 
their High Mightinesses, the Lords States General, in the upper 
regions of the Hudson. 

Killian Van Rensellaer was a nine days' wonder in New 
Amsterdam ; for he carried a high head, looked down upon 
the portly, short-legged burgomasters, and owned no allegiance 
to the governor himself ; boasting that he held his patroonship 
directly from the Lords States General. 

He tarried but a short time in New Amsterdam ; merely to 
beat up recruits for his colony. Few, however, ventured to 
enlist for those remote and savage regions ; and when they em- 
barked, their friends took leave of them as if they should never 
see them more ; and stood gazing with tearhd eye as the stout, 
round-sterned little vessel ploughed and splashed its way up the 



Et)e a^^x oniclt ot }3eKxn Jtslants. 37 



Hudson, with great noise and little progress, taking nearly a 
day to get out of sight of the city. 

And now, from time to time, floated down tidings to the 
Manhattoes of the growing importance of this new colony. 
Every account represented Killian Van Rensellaer as rising in 
importance, and becoming a mighty patroon in the land. He 
had received more recruits from Holland. His patroonship of 
Rensellaerwick lay immediately below Fort Aurania, and ex- 
tended for several miles on each side of the Hudson, besides 
embracing the mountainous region of the Helderberg. Over 
all this he claimed to hold separate jurisdiction, independent of 
the colonial authorities at New Amsterdam. 

All these assumptions of authority were duly reported to 
Governor Van Twiller and his council, by dispatches from 
Fort Aurania ; at each new report the governor and his coun- 
sellors looked at each other, raised their eyebrows, gave an 
extra puff or two of smoke, and then relapsed into their usual 
tranquillity. 

At length tidings came that the patroon of Rensellaerwick 
had extended his usuipations along the river, beyond the limits 
granted him by their High Mightinesses ; and that he had even 
seized upon a rocky island in the Hudson, commonly known 
by the name of Beam or Bear's Island, where he was 
erecting a fortress, to be called by the lordly name of Rensel- 
laerstein. 

Wouter Van Twiller was roused by this intelligence. After 
consulting with his burgomasters, he dispatched a letter to the 
patroon of Rensellaerwick, demanding by what right he had 
seized upon this island, which lay beyond the bounds of his 
patroonship. The'answei; of Killian Van Rensellaer was in 
his own lordly style, " By wapen recht I" that is to say, by 
the right of arms, or, in common parlance, by club-law. This 
answer plunged the worthy Wouter into one of the deepest 
doubts he encountered in the whole course of his administra- 
tion ; but while he doubted, the lordly Killian went on to 
complete his sturdy little castellum of Rensellaerstein. This 



38 ^ Booft of ti^e f^uUson. 



done, he garrisoned it with a number of his tenants from the 
Helderberg, a mountain region, famous for the hardest heads 
and hardest fists in the province. Nicholas Koorn, his faith- 
ful squire, accustomed to strut at his heels, wear his cast off 
clothes, and miitate his lofty bearing, was established in this 
post as wacht meester. His duty it was to keep an eye on the 
river, and oblige every vessel that passed, unless on the service 
of their High Mightinesses, the Lords States General of Hol- 
land, to strike its flag, lower its peak, and pay toll to the lord 
of Rensellaerstein. 

Many were the complaints rendered in to Wouter Van 
Twiller by the skippers of the Hudson of these wrongs in- 
flicted on them by the little wart of a castle ; all which tended 
marvellously to increase his doubts and perplexities, insomuch 
that v/hen William the Testy succeeded him m office, he found 
whole bundles of statements of these offences filed away in the 
archives of government, with the dubious superscription " to be 
considered." William the Testy was not a man to take 
things so patiently. He wrote sharp remonstrances to Killian 
Van Rensellaer, representing his assumption of sovereign 
authority on the river as equal to the outrages of the Robber 
Counts of Germany, from their castles on the Rhine. His re- 
monstrances were treated with silent contempt, and thus a sore 
place, or, in Hibernian phrase, a raw, was established in the 
irritable soul of the little governor, insomuch that he winced 
at the very name of Rensellaerstein. 

Now it came to pass, that on a fine sunny day the Com- 
pany's yacht, the Half- Moon, having been on one of its stated 
visits to Fort Aurania, was quietly tiding it down the Hudson ; 
the commander, Govert Lockermarv, a veteran Dutch skipper 
of few words but great bottom, was seated on the high poop, 
quietly smoking his pipe, under the shadow of the proud 
flag of Orange when, on arriving abreast of Beam Island, he 
was saluted by a stentorian voice from the shore, " Lower thy 
flag, and be d — d to thee !" 

Govei-* Loskerman, without taking his pipe out of h* 



Ei)e CJjroniclc of iiJearn Eslanb. 39 



mouth, turned up his eye from under his broad-brimmed hat to 
see who hailed him thus discourteously. There, on the ram- 
parts of the fort, stood Nicholas Kooni, armed to the teeth, 
flourishing a brass-hilted sword, while a steeple-crowned hat 
and cock's tail-feather, formerly worn by Killian Van Ren- 
sellaer himself, gave an inexpressible loftiness to his de- 
meanor. 

Govert Lockemian eyed the warrior from top to toe, but 
was not to be dismayed. Taking the pipe slowly out of his 
mouth, " To whom should I lower my flag ]" demanded he. 

"To the high and mighty Kjllian Van Rensellaer, the lord 
of Rensellaerstein !" was the reply. 

" I lower it to none but the Prince of Orange, and my mas- 
ters, the Lords States General." So saying, he resumed his 
pipe, and smoked with an air of dogged determination. 

Bang ! went a gun from the fortress ; the ball cut both sail 
and rigging. Govert Lockerman said nothing, but smoked the 
more doggedly. 

Bang ! went another gun ; the shot whistling close astern. 

" Fire, and be d — d," cried Govert Lockennan, cramming a 
new charge of tobacco into his pipe, and smoking with still 
increasing vehemence. 

Bang! went a third gun. The shot passed over his head, 
tearing a hole in the " princely flag of Orange." 

This was the hardest trial of all for the pride and patience 
of Govert Lockerman ; he mamtained a stubborn though swell- 
ing silence, but his smothered rage might be perceived by the 
short vehement puffs of smoke emitted from his pipe, by which 
he might be tracked for miles, as he slowly floated out of shot 
and out of sight of Beam Island. In fact he never gave vent 
to his passion until he got fairly among the Highlands of the 
Hudson ; when he let fly whole volleys of Dutch oaths, which 
are said to linger to this very day among the echoes of the 
Dunderberg, and to give particular effect to the thunder-storms 
in that neighborhood. 

William the Testy was shut up in his rural retreat of Dog's 



40 ® J3ooft of tfjf f^ulrgon. 



Misery, planning an expedition against the marauding people 
of Merryland, when Govert Lockerman burst in upon him, 
bearing in his hand the tattered flag of Orange. I will not 
pretend to describe the passion of the little man when he heard 
of the outrage of Rensellaerstein. Suflice it to say, in the first 
transports of his fury, he turned Dog's Misery topsy-turvy ; 
kicked every cur out of doors, and threw the cats out of the 
window ; after which, his spleen being in some measure re- 
lieved, he went into a council of war with Govert Lockerman, 
the skipper, assisted by Antony Van Corlear, the tinimpeter. 

The eyes of all New Amsterdam were now turned to see 
what would be the end of this direful feud between William the 
Testy and the patroon of Rensellaerwick ; and some, obsei"v- 
ing the consultations of the governor with the skipper and the 
trumpeter, predicted warlike measures by sea and land. The 
wrath of William Kieft, however, though quick to rise, was 
quick to evaporate. He was a perfect bmsh-heap in a blaze, 
snapping and crackling for a time, and then ending in smoke. 
Like many other valiant potentates, his first thoughts were all 
for war, his sober second thoughts for diplomacy. 

Accordingly, Govert Lockerman was once more dispatched 
up the river in the Company's yacht, the Goed Hoop, bearing 
Antony the Trumpeter as ambassador, to treat with the bel- 
ligerent powers of Rensellaerstein. In the fulness of time 
the yacht arrived before Beam Island, and Antony the Trum- 
peter, mounting the poop, sounded a parley to the fortress. In 
a little while, the steeple-crowned hat of Nicholas Koorn, the 
wacht-meester, rose above the battlements, followed by his 
iron visage, and ultimately by his whole person, armed, as be- 
fore, to the very teeth ; while one by one a whole row of Hel- 
derbergers reared their round burly heads above the wall, and 
beside each pumpkin-head peered the end of a nasty musket. 
Nothing daunted by this formidable array, Antony Van Cor- 
lear drew forth and read with audible voice a missive from 
William the Testy, protesting against the usurpation of Beam 
Island, and ordering the garrison to quit the premises, bag and 



€f)t Cf)ron(cIe of Beam Islanlr. 41 



baggage, on pain of the vengeance of the potentate of the 
Manhattoes. 

In reply the wacht-meester applied the thumb of his right 
hand to the end of his nose, and the thumb of the left hand to 
the little finger of the right, and spreading each hand like a 
fan, made an aerial flourish with his fingers. Antony Van 
Corlear was sorely perplexed to understand this sign, which 
seemed to him something mysterious and masonic. Not lUdng 
to betray his ignorance, he again read with a loud voice the 
missive of William the Testy, and again Nicholas Koom ap- 
plied the thumb of his right hand to the end of his nose, and 
the thumb of his left hand to the little finger of the right, and 
repeated this kind of nasal weathercock. Antony Van Cor- 
lear now persuaded himself that this was some short-hand sign 
or symbol, current in diplomacy, which, though unintelligible to 
a new diplomat like himself, would speak volumes to the 
experienced intellect of William the Testy ; considering his 
embassy therefore at an end, he sounded his trumpet with great 
complacency, and set sail on his return down the river, every 
now and then practising this mysterious sign of the wacht- 
meester, to keep it accurately in mind. 

Arrived at New Amsterdam, he made a faithful report of his 
embassy to the governor, accompanied by a manual exhibition 
of the response of Nicholas Koorn. The governor was 
equally perplexed with his ambassador. He was deeply versed 
in the mysteries of freemasonry ; but they threw no light on 
the matter. He knew every variety of windmill and weather- 
cock, but was not a whit the wiser, as to the aerial sign in 
question. He had even dabbled in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and 
the mystic symbols of the obelisks, but none furnished a key 
to the reply of Nicholas Koom. He called a meeting of his 
council. Antony Van Corlear stood forth in the midst, and 
putting the thumb of his right hand to his nose, and the thumb 
of his left hand to the little finger of the right, he gave a faithful 
fac-simile of the portentous sign. Having a nose of unusual 
dimensions, it was as if the reply had been put in capitals, but 



42 aJ3ookofttf?^ulrson. 



all in vain ; the worthy burgomasters were equally perplexed 
with the governor. Each one put his thumb to the end of his 
nose, spread his fingers like a fan, imitated the motion of 
Antony Van Corlear, and then smoked on in dubious silence. 
Several times was Antony obliged to stand forth like a fugle- 
man, and repeat the sign, and each time a circle of nasal 
weathercocks might be seen in the council-chamber. 

Perplexed in the extreme, William the Testy sent for all the 
soothsayers, and fortunetellers, and wise men of the Manhat- 
toes, but none could interpret the mysterious reply of Nicholas 
Koorn. The council broke up in sore perplexity. The mat- 
ter got abroad, Antony Van Corlear was stopped at every cor- 
ner to repeat the signal to a knot of anxious newsmongers, 
each of whom departed with his thumb to his nose, and his 
fingers in the air, to carry the story home to his family. For 
several days all business was neglected in New Amsterdam ; 
nothing was talked of but the diplomatic mission of Antony 
the Trumpeter, nothing was to be seen but knots of politicians 
with their thumbs to their noses. In the meantime the fierce 
feud between William the Testy and Killian Van Rensellaer, 
which at first had menaced deadly warfare, gradually cooled off, 
like many other war questions, in the prolonged delays of di- 
plomacy. 

Still to this early afiliir of Rensellaerstein may be traced 
the remote origin of those windy wars in modern days which 
rage in the bowels of the Helderberg, and have well nigh 
shaken the great patroonship of the Van Rensellaers to its 
foundation ; for we are told that the bully boys of the Helder- 
berg, who served under Nicholas Koorn, the wacht-meester, 
carried back to their mountains the hieroglyphic sign which 
had so sorely puzzled Antony Van Corlear and the sages of the 
Manhattoes ; so that to the present day the thumb to the nose 
and the fingers in the air is apt to be the reply of the Helder- 
bergers whenever called upon for long arrears of rent. 



ffil^E fLcgcnti of .Sleepii f^oUoto. 43 



THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. 

A pleasing land of drowsy head it was, 
Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye ; 

And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, 
For ever flushing round a summer sky. 

Castle of Indolence. 

In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent 
the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of 
the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the 
Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail, 
and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they cross- 
ed, there lies a small market-town or rural port, which, by 
some, is called Grecnsburgh, but which is more generally and 
properly known by the name of Tarry Town. This name 
was given, we are told, in former days, by the good house- 
wives of the adjacent country, from the inveterate propensity 
of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market 
days. Be that as it may, I do not vouch for the fact, but 
merely advert to it for the sake of being precise and authentic. 
Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a 
little valley, or rather lap of land, among high hills, which is 
one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook 
glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to re- 
pose ; and the occasional whistle of a quail, or tapping of a 
woodpecker, is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon 
the uniform tranquillity. 

I recollect that, when a stripling, my first exploit in squirrel- 
shooting was in a grove of tall walnut-trees that shades one 
side of the valley. I had wandered into it at noontime, when 
all nature is peculiarly quiet, and was startled by the roar of 
my owp gun, as it broke the Sabbath stillness around, and 



44 ^ ]3ooft of tf)e f^utison. 



was prolonged and reverberated by the angry echoes. If ever I 
should wish for a retreat whither I might steal from the world 
and its distractions, and dream quietly away the remnant of a 
troubled life, I know of none more promising than this little 
valley. 

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar cha- 
racter of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original 
Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by 
the name of Sleepy Hollow, and its rustic lads are called 
the Sleepy Hollow Boys throughout all the neighboring country. 
A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and 
to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was 
bewitched by a high German doctor, during the early days of 
the settlement ; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or 
wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country 
was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. Certain it is, 
the place still continues under the sway of some witching 
power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, 
causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given 
to all kinds of marvellous beliefs ; are subject to trances and 
visions ; and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and 
voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with 
local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions ; ^tars 
shoot and meteors glare oftener aoross the valley than in any 
other part of the country, and the night-mare with her whole 
nine fold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols. 

The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted 
region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers 
of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a 
head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, 
whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some 
nameless battle during the revolutionary war, and who is ever 
and anon seen by the country folk, hurrying along in the gloom 
of night, as if on the wings of the wind. His haunts are not 
confined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent 
roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great 



1!Li)e %eQents at Sleeps f^oUoin. 45 



distance. Indeed, certain of the most authentic historians of 
those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating 
the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body 
of the trooper having been buried in the church-yard, the 
ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his 
head ; and that the rushing speed with which he someiimes 
passes along the Hollow, liiie a midnight blast, is owing to his 
being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the church-yard 
before daybreak. 

Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, 
which has furnished materials for many a wild story in that 
region of shadows, and the spectre is known at all the country 
firesides by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy 
Hollow. 

It is remarkable that the visionary propensity I have men- 
tioned is not confined to the native inhabitants of the valley » 
but is unconsciously imbibed by every one who resides there 
for a time. However wide awake they may have been before 
they entered that sleepy region, they are sure, in a little time, 
to inhale the witching influence of the air, afid begin to grow 
imaginative — to dream dreams, and see apparitions. 

I mention this peaceful spot with all possible iaud ; for it is 
in such little retired Dutch valleys, found here and there, embo- 
somed in the great state of New York, that population, man- 
ners, and customs remain fixed, while the great torrent of 
migration and improvement, which is making such incessant 
changes in other parts of this restless country, sweeps by them 
unobserved. They are like those little nooks of still water 
which border a rapid stream ; where w^ may see the straw and 
bubble riding quietly at anchor, or slowly revolving in their 
mimic harbor, undisturbed by the rush of the passing current. 
Though many years have elapsed since I trod the drowsy 
ehades of Sleepy Hollow, yet I question whether I should not 
still find the same trees and the same families vegetating in its 
sheltered bosom. 

In this by-place of nature, there abode, in a remote period of 



46 ^ 33ooit of tf)c ^^uUson. 



American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a 
worthy wight, of the name of Ichabod Crane, who sojourned, 
or, as he expressed it, " tarried," in Sleepy Hollow, for the 
pin-pose of instructing the children of the vicinity. He was a 
native of Connecticut, a state which supplies the Union with 
pioneers for the mind as well as for the forest, and sends forth 
yearly its legions of frontier woodmen and country schoolmas- 
ters. The cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his per- 
son. He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoul- 
ders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his 
sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole 
frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and 
fiat at the top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a 
long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock, perched 
upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew. To 
see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, 
with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might 
have mistaken him for the genius of famind descending upon 
the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield. 

His school-hou?e was a low building of one large room, 
rudely constructed of logs, the windows partly glazed and 
partly patched with leaves of old copybooks. It was most 
ingeniously secured at vacant hours, by a withe twisted in the 
handle of the door, and stakes set against the window shut- 
ters, so that, though a thief might get in with perfect ease, he 
would find some embarrassment in getting out ; an idea most 
probably borrowed by the architect, Yost Van Houten, from 
the mystery of an eel-pot. The school-house stood in a rather 
lonely but pleasant situation, just at the foot of a woody hill, 
with a brook running close by, and a formidable birch tree 
growing at one end of it. From hence the low murmur of his 
pupils' voices, conning over their lessons, might be heard in a 
drowsy summer's day, like the hum of a bee-hive, interrupted 
now and then by the authoritative voice of the master, in the 
tone of menace or command, or, peradventure, by the appal- 
ling sound of the birch, as he urged some tardy loiterer along 



El)e ILcgcnti of Sleeps ^oMoio. 47 



the flowery path of knowledge. Truth to say, he was a con- 
scientious man, and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, 
" Spare the rod and spoil the child." — Ichabod Crane's scholars 
certainly were not spoiled. 

I wo aid not have it imagined, however, that he was one of 
those cruel potentates of the school, who joy in the smart of 
their subjects ; on the contrary, he administered justice with 
discrimination rather than severity, taking the burden off the 
backs of the weak, and laying it on those of the strong. Your 
mere puny stripling, that winced at the least flourish of the rod, 
was passed by with indulgence, but the claims of justice were 
satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little, tough, 
wrong-headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who sulked, and 
swelled, and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch. All 
this he called " doing his duty by their parents," and he never 
inflicted a chastisement without following it by the assurance, 
so consolatoiy to the smarting urchin, that " he would remem- 
ber it and thank him for it the longest day he had to live." 

When school hours were over, he was even the companion 
and playmate of the larger boys, and on holiday alternoons 
would convoy some of the smaller ones home, who happened 
to have pretty sisters, or good housewives for mothers, noted 
for the comforts of the cupboard. Indeed, it behoved him to 
keep on good terms with his pupils. The revenue arising 
from his school was small, and would have been scarcely suf- 
ficient to furnish him with daily bread, for he was a huge, 
feeder, and though lank, had the dilating powers of an ana- 
conda ; but to help out his maintenance, he was, according to 
country custom in those parts, boarded and lodged at the 
houses of the farmers, whose children he instructed. With 
these he lived successively a week at a time, thus going the 
rounds of the neighborhood, with all his worldly effects tied 
up in a cotton handkerchief. 

That all this might not be too onerous on the purses of his 
rustic patrons, who are apt to consider the costs of schooling a 
grievous burden, and schoolmasters as mere drones, he had 



48 ® ISook of tfjf f^uUson. 



various ways of rendering himself both useful and agreeable. 
He assisted the farmers occasionally in the lighter labors of 
their farms, helped to make hay, mended the fences, took the 
horses to water, drove the cows from pasture, and cut wood for 
the winter fire. He laid aside, too, all the dominant dignity 
and absolute sway with which he lorded it in his little empire, 
the school, and became wonderfully gentle and ingratiating. 
He found favor in the eyes of the mothers, by petting the chil- 
dren, particularly the youngest, and like the lion bold, which 
whilom so magnanimously the lamb did hold, he would sit 
with a child on one knee, and rock a cradle with his foot for 
whole hours together. 

In addition to his other vocations, he was the singing master 
of the neighborhood, and picked up many bright shillings by 
instructing the young folks in psalmody. It was a matter of 
no little vanity to him, on Sundays, to take his station in front 
of the church gallery, with a band of chosen singers ; where, 
in his own mind, he completely carried away the palm from 
the parson. Certain it is, his voice resounded far above all the 
rest of the congregation ; and there are peculiar quavers still 
to be heard in that church, and which may even be heard half 
a mile off, quite to the opposite side of the mill-pond, on a still 
Sunday morning, which are said to be legitimately descended 
from the nose of Ichabod Crane. Thus, by divers little make- 
shifts, in that ingenious way which is commonly denominated 
" by hook and by crook," the worthy pedagogue got on tolera- 
bly enough, and was thought, by all who understood nothing 
of the labor of headwork, to have a wonderfully easy life of it. 

The schoolmaster is generally a man of some importance in 
the female circle of a rural neighborhood ; being considered a 
kind of idle gentleman-like personage, of vastly superior taste 
and accomplishments to the rough country swains, and, indeed, 
inferior in learning only to the parson. His appearance, there- 
fore, is apt to occasion some little stir at the tea-table of a farm- 
house, and the addition of a supernumerary dish of cakes, or 
sweetmeats, or, peradventure, the parade of a silver teapot. 



STi^e ILcQEiiU Df,SIfcpj} lilolloii). 49 



Our man of letters, therefore, was peculiarly happy in the 
smiles of all the country damsels. How he would figure 
among them in the church-yard between services on Sundays, 
gathering grapes for them from the wild vines that overrun the 
surrounding trees ; reciting for their amusement all the epitaphs 
on the tombstones, or sauntering, with a whole bevy of them, 
along the banks of the adjacent mill-pond ; while the more 
bashful country bumpkins hung sheepishly back, envying his 
superior elegance and address. 

From his half itinerant life, also, he was a kind of travelling 
gazette, carrying the whole budget of local gossip from house 
to house, so that his appearance was always greeted with satis- 
faction. He was, moreover, esteemed by the women as a man 
of great erudition, for he had read several books quite through, 
and was a perfect master of Cotton Mather's History of New 
England Witchcraft, in which, by the way, he most firmly and 
potently believed. 

.. He was, in fact, an odd mixture of small shrewdness and 
fc^imple credulity. His appetite for the marvellous, and his 
powers of digesting it, were equally extraordinary ; and both 
had been increased by his residence in this spell-bound region. 
No tale was too gross or monstrous for his capacious swallow. 
It was often his delight, after his school was dismissed in the 
afternoon, to stretch himself on tlie rich bed of clover, border- 
ing the little brook' that whimpered by his school-house, and 
there con over old Mather's direful tales, until the gathering 
dusk of the evening made the printed page a mere mist before 
his eyes. Then, as he wended his way, by swamp, and stream, 
and awful woodland, to tb.e farmhouse where he happened to 
be quartered, every sound of nature, at that witching hour, 
fluttered his excited imagination ; the moan of the whip-poor- 
will* from the hill side, the boding cry of the tree toad, that 
harbinger of storm, the dreary hooting of the screech-owl, or 

* The whip poor-will is a bird which is only heard at night. It re- 
ceives its name from its note, whicli is thought to resemble those 
word?. 

3 



50 aJSooftoft^c l^utjson. 



the sudden rustling in the thicket of birds frightened from their 
roost. The fire-flies, too, which sparkled most vividly in the 
darkest places, now and then startled him, as one of uncom- 
mon brightness would stream across his path ; and if, by 
chance, a huge blockhead of a beetle came winging his blun- 
dering flight against him, the poor varlet was ready to give up 
the ghost, with the idea that he was struck with a witch's 
token. His only resource on such occasions, either to drown 
.thought, or drive away evil spirits, was to sing psalm tunes, 
and the good people of Sleepy Hollow, as they sat by their 
doors of an evening, were often filled with awe, at hearing 
his nasal melody, " in linked sweetness long drawn out," float- 
ing from the distant hill, or along the dusky road. 

Another of his sources of fearful pleasure was, to pass long 
v/inter evenings with the old Dutch wives, as they sat spinning 
by the fire, with a row of apples roasting and spluttering 
along the hearth, and listen to their marvellous tales of ghosts, 
and goblins, and haunte^ fields, and haunted brooks, and 
haunted bridges, and haunted houses, and particularly of the 
headless horteman, or Galloping Hessian of the Hollow, as 
they sometimes called him. He would delight them equally 
by his anecdotes of witchcraft, and of the direful omens and 
portentous sights and sounds in the air, which prevailed m the 
earlier times of Connecticut, and would frighten them wofally 
with speculations upon comets and shooting stars, and with the 
alarming fact that the world did absolutely turn round, and 
that they were half the time topsy-turvy. 

But if there was a pleasure m all this, while snugly cuddling 
. in the chimney corner of a chamber that was all of a ruddy 
glow from the crackling wood fire, and where, of course, no 
spectre dared to show its face, it was dearly purchased by the 
terrors of his subsequent walk homewards. What fearful shapes 
and shadows beset his path amidst the dim and ghastly glare of 
a snowy night ! — With what wistful look did he eye every 
trembling ray of light streaming across the waste fields from 
some distant window. How often was he appalled by some 



STfjcILrsfuli of Sleeps flJoUolu. 51 



shrub covered with snow, which, like a sheeted spectre, beset 
his very path. How often did he shrink with curdling awe at 
the sound of his own steps on .the frosty cnist beneath his feet, 
and dread to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold 
some uncouth being tramping close behind him ! — and how 
oi'ten was he thrown into complete dismay by some rushing 
blast, howling among the trees, in the idea that it was the 
Gallopuig Hessian on one of his nightly scourings. 

All these, however, were mere terrors of the night, phan- 
toms of the riiind that walk in darkness ; and though he had 
seen many spectres in his time, and been more than once be- 
set by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely perambulations, yet 
daylight put an end to all these evils, and he would have pass- 
ed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the devil and all his 
works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes 
more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the 
whole race of witches put together, and that was — a woman. 

Among the musical disciples who assembled, one evening in 
each week, to receive his instruction in psalmody, was Katrina 
Van Tassel, the daughter and only child of a substantial 
Dutch farmer. She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen ; 
plump as a partridge, ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as 
one of her father's peaches, and universally famed, not mere- 
ly for her beauty, but her vast expectations. She was withal a 
little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, 
which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most 
suited to set off her channs. She wore the ornaments of pure 
yellow gold, whieh her great-great-grandmother had brought 
over from Saardam ; the tempting stomacher of the olden time, 
and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the pret- 
tiest foot and ankle in the country round. 

Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart towards the sex ; 
and it is not to be wondered at, that so tempting a morsel 
soon found favor in his eyes ; more especially after he had 
visited her in her paternal mansion. Old Baltus Van Tassel 
was a perfect picture of a thriving, contented, liberal-hearted 



52 a33ooktifHje?l?ul)son 



farmer. He seldom, it is true, sent either his eyes or hia 
thoughts beyond the boundaries of his own farm ; but within 
those everything was snug, happy, and well-conditioned. He 
was satisfied with his wealth, but not proud of it, and piqued 
himself upon the hearty abundance, rather than the style hi 
which he lived. His stronghold was situated on the banks of 
the Hudson, in one of those green, sheltered, fertile nooks, in 
which the Dutch farmers are so fond of nestling. A great elm 
tree spread its broad branches over it, at the foot of which 
bubbled up a spring of the softest and sweetest water, in a lit- 
tle well, formed of a barrel ; and then stole sparkling away 
through the grass, to a neighboring brook, that bubbled 
along among alders and dwarf willows. Hard by the farm- 
house was a vast barn, that might have served for a church ; 
every window and crevice of which seemed bursting forth with 
the treasures of the farm ; the flail was busily resounding Vv'ith- 
in it from morning to night ; swallows and martins skimmed 
twittering about the eaves, and rows of pigeons, some with one 
eye turned up, as if watching the weather, some with their 
heads under their wings, or buried in their bosoms, and others 
swelling, and cooing, and bowing about their dames, were en- 
joying the sunshine on the roof Sleek, unwieldy porkers 
were grunting in the repose and abundance of their pens, 
whence sallied forth, now and then, troops of sucking pigs, as 
if to snuft' the air. A stately squadron of snowy geese were 
riding in an adjoining pond, convoying whole fleets of ducks ; 
regiments of turkeys were gobbling through the farm-yard, and 
guinea fowls fretting about it, like ill-tempered housewives, 
with their peevish, discontented cry. Before the barn door 
» stmtted the gallant cock, that pattern of a husband, a war- 
rior, and a fine gentleman, clapping his burnished wings, and 
crowing in the pride and gladness of his heart — sometimes 
tearing up the earth with his I'eet, and then generously calling 
his ever-hungiy family of wives and children to enjoy the rich 
morsel which he had discovered. 

The pedagogue's mouth watered, as he looked upon this 



E^e ILefijiit) of bleeps ^olloto. 53 



sumptuous promise of luxurious winter fare. In his devouring 
mind's eye, ho pictured to himself every roasting-pig running 
about M'ith a pudding in his belly, and an apple in his mouth ; 
the pigeons were snugly put to bed in a comfortable pie, and 
tucked in with a coverlet of cnist ; the geese were swim.ming 
in their own gTavy, and the ducks pairing cosily in dishes, like 
snug married couples, with a decent competency of onion 
sauce. In the porkers he saw carved out the future sleek side 
of bacon, and juicy relishing ham ; not a turkey but lie beheld 
daintily tmssed up, with its gizzard under its wing, and, perad- 
venture, a necklace of f-avory sausages, and even bright chan- 
ticleer himself lay sprawling on his back, in a side dish, with 
uplifted claws, as if craving that quarter which his chivalrous 
spirit disdained to ask while living. 

As the enraptured Ichabod fancied all this, and as he roiled 
his great green eyes over the fat meadow lands, the rich fields 
of wheat, of rye, of buckwheat, and Indian corn, and the or- 
chards burdened with ruddy fruit, which surrounded the warm 
tenement of Van Tassel, his heart yearned after the damsel 
who was to inherit these domains, and his imagination expand- 
ed with the idea, how they might be readily turned into cash, 
and the money invested in immense tracts of wild land and 
shingle palaces in the wilderness. Nay, his busy fancy already 
realized his hopes, and presented to him the blooming Katrina, 
with a whole family of children, mounted on the top of a 
wagon, loaded with household trumpery, with pots and kettles 
dangling beneath ; and he beheld himself bestriding a pacing 
mare, with a colt at her heels, setting out for Kentucky, Ten- 
nessee, or the Lord knows where. 

When he entered the house, the conquest of his heart was 
complete. It was one of those spacious fannhouses, with high 
ridged, but lowly sloping roofs, built in the style handed down 
from the first Dutch settlers ; the low projecting eaves forming 
a piazza along the •front, capable of being closed up in bad 
weather. Under this were hung flails, harness, various utensils 
of husbandry, and nets for fishing in the neighboring river. 



54 «a Booft of tlje filuttaon. 



Benches were built along the sides for summer use; and a 
great spinning-wheel at one end, and a churn at the other, 
showed the various uses to which this important porch might 
be devoted. From this piazza the wondering Ichabod entered 
the hall, which formed the centre of the mansion, and the 
place of usual residence. Here, rows of resplendenj pewter 
ranged on a long dresser, dazzled his eyes. In one corner 
stood a huge bag of wool, ready to be spun ; in another a 
quantity of linsey-woolsey just from the loom ; ears of Indian 
corn, and strings of dried apples and peaches, hung in gay fes- 
toons along the walls, mingled with the gaud of red peppers, 
and a door left ajar gave him a peep into the best parlor, where 
the claw-footed chairs, and dark mahogany tables, shone like 
mirrors ; andirons, with their accompanying shovel and tongs, 
glistened from their covert of asparagus tops ; mock oranges 
and conch-shells decorated the mantel-piece ; strings of va- 
rious colored birds' eggs were suspended above it ; a great 
ostrich egg was hung from the centre of the room, and a cor- 
ner cupboard, knowingly left open, displayed immense trea- 
sures of old silver and well mended china. 

From the moment Ichabod laid his eyes upon these regions 
of delight, the peace of his mind was at an end, and his only 
study was how to gain the affections of the peerless daughter 
of Van Tassel. In this enterprise, however, he had more real 
difficulties than generally fell to the lot of a knight-errant of 
yore, who seldom had anything but giants, enchanters, fiery 
dragons, and such like easily conquered adversaries to contend 
with, and had to make his way merely through gates of iron 
and brass, and walls of adamant, to the castle keep where the 
lady of his heart was confined, all which he achieved as easily 
as a man would carve his way to the centre of a Christmas 
pie, and then the lady gave him her hand, as a matter of 
course. Ichabod, on the contrary, had to win his way to the 
heart of a country coquette, beset with a labyrinth of whims 
and caprices, which were for ever presenting new difficulties 
and impediments ; and he had to encounter a host of fearful 



^Tfje Hcficnli of <Slcfpii ft|oIloto. 55 



adversaries of real flesh and blood, the numerous rustic ad- 
mirers, who beset every portal to her heart, keeping a watchful 
and angry eye upon each other, but ready to fly out m the 
common cause against any new competitor. 

Among these the most formidable was a burly, roaring, royster- 
ing blade, of the name of Abraham, or, according to the Dutch 
abbreviation. Brom Van Brunt, the hero of the country round, 
which rang with his feats of strength and hardihood. He was 
broad shouldered and double jointed, with short curly black 
hair, and a bluff", but not unpleasant countenance, havmg a 
mingled air of fun and arrogance. From his Herculean frame 
and great powers of limb, he had received the nickname of 
Brom Bones, by which he was universally known. He was 
famed for great knowledge and skill in horsemanship, being as 
dexterous on horseback as a Tartar. He was foremost in all 
races and cock fights, and, with the ascendency which bodily 
strength acquires in rustic life, was the umpire in all disputes, 
setting his hat on one side, and giving his decisions with an air 
and tone admitting of no gamsay or appeal. He was always 
ready for either a fight or a frolic, but had more mischief than 
ill-will in his composition, and, with all his overbearing rough- 
ness, there was a strong dash of waggish good humor at bot- 
tom. He had three or four boon companions, who regarded 
him as their model, and at the head of whom he scoured the 
country, attending every scene of feud or merriment for miles 
round. In cold weather, he was distinguished by a fur cap, 
surmounted with a flaunting fox's tail, and when the folks at a 
country gathering descried this well-known crest at a distance, 
whisking about among a squad of hard riders, they always stood 
by for a squall. Sometimes his crew would be heard dashing 
along past the farmhouses at midnight, with whoop and halloo, 
like a troop of Don Cossacks, and the old dames, startled out 
of their sleep, would listen for a moment, till the hurry-scurry 
had clattered by, and then exclaim, " Ay, there goes Brom 
Bones and his gang !" The neighbors looked upon him with 
a mixture of awe, admiration, and good will, and when any 



56 S J3onft of tt)c l^uTigon. 



madcap prank or rustic brawl occurred in the vicinity, always 
shook their heads, and warranted Brom Bones was at the bot- 
tom of it. 

This rantipole hero had for some tune singled out the bloom- 
ing Katrina for the object of his uncouth gallantries, and 
though his amorous toyings were something like the gentle 
caresses and endearments of a bear, yet it was whispered that 
she did not altogether discourage his hopes. Certain it is, his 
advances were signals for rival candidates to retire, who felt 
no inclination to cross a lion in his amours ; insomuch, that 
when his horse was seen tied to Van Tassel's paling on a 
Sunday night, a sure sign that his master was courting, or as it 
is termed, " sparking," within, all other suitors passed by in 
despair, and carried the war into other quarters. 

Such was the formidable rival with whom Ichabod Crane 
had to contend, and, considering all things, a stouter man than 
he would have shrunk from the competition, and a wiser man 
would have despaired. He had, however, a happy mixture of 
pliability and perseverance in his nature ; he was in form and 
spirit like a supple-jack — yielding, but tough ; though he bent, 
he never broke, and though he bowed beneath the slightest 
pressure, yet the moment it was away — jerk ! he was as erect, 
and carried his head as high as ever. 

To have taken the field openly against his rival would have 
been madness, for he was not a man to be thwarted in his 
amours, any more than that storm-y lover, Achilles. Ichabod, 
therefore, made his advances in a quiet and gently-insinuating 
manner. Under cover of his character of singing master, he 
made frequent visits at the farmhouse ; not that he had any- 
thing to apprehend from the meddlesome interference of pa- 
rents, which is so often a stumbling-block in the path of lovers. 
Bait Van Tassel was an easy, indulgent soul ; he loved his 
daughter better even than his pipe, and, like a reasonable man 
and an excellent father, let her have her way in everything. 
His notable little wife, too, had enough to do to attend to her 
housekeepmg and manage her poultry, for, as she sagely ob- 



STfjf V^e^tnt} of^letpg ?^oIIo1d. 57 



sei-ved, ducks and geese are foolish things, and must be looked 
after, but girls can take care of themselves. Thus while 
the busy dame bustled about the house, or plied her spinning- 
wheel at one end of the piazza, honest Bait would sit 
smoking his evening pipe at the other, watching the achieve- 
ments of a little wooden warrior, who, armed with a sword in 
each hand, was most valiantly fighting the wind on the pinnacle 
of the barn. In the meantime, Ichabod would carry on his 
suit with the daughter, by the side of the spring, under the 
great elm, or sauntering along in the twilight, that hour so fa- 
vorable to the lovei-'s eloquence. 

I profess not to know how women's hearts are wooed and 
won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and 
admiration. Some seem to have but one vulnerable point, or 
door of access, while others have a thousand avenues, and may 
be captured in a thousand different ways. It is a great triumph 
of skill to gain the former, but a still greater proof of general- 
ship to maintain possession of the latter, for a man must bat- 
tle for his fortress at every door and window. He who wins 
a thousand common hearts is therefore entitled to some re- 
nown, but he who keeps undisputed sway over the heart of a 
coquette, is indeed a hero. Certain it is, this was not the case 
with the redoubtable Brom Bones, and from the moment 
Ichabod Crane made his advances, the interests of the former 
evidently declined ; his horse was no longer seen tied to the 
palings on Sunday nights, and a deadly feud gradually arose 
between him and the preceptor of Sleepy Hollow. 

Brom, who had a degree of rough chivalry in his nature, 
would fain have carried matters to open warfare, and have set- 
tled their pretensions to the lady according to the mode of 
those most concise and simple reasoners, the knight-enants of 
yore — by single combat ; -but Ichabod was too conscious of 
the superior might of his adversary, to enter the lists against 
him ; he had overheard a boast of Bones, that he would 
" double the schoolmaster up, and lay him on a shelf of his 
own school-house," and he was too waiy to give him an oppor- 
3* 



58" aJSoofeoftfiefJuUson. 



tunity. There was something extremely provoking in this 
obstinately pacific system ; it left Brom no alternative but to 
draw upon the funds of rustic waggery in his disposition, and 
to play off boorish practical jokes upon his rival. Ichabod 
became the object of whimsical persecution to Bones and his 
gang of rough riders. They harried his hitherto peaceful do- 
mains ; smoked out his singing school, by stopping up the 
chimney ; broke into the school-house at night, in spite of its 
foiinidable fastenings of withe and window stakes, and turned 
everything topsy-turvy, so that the poor schoolmaster began to 
think all the witches in the country held their meetings there. 
But what was still more annoying, Brom took all opportuni- 
ties of turnmg him into ridicule in presence of his mistress, 
and had a scoundrel dog, whom he taught to whine in the most 
ludicrous manner, and introduced as a rival of Ichabod's, to 
instmct her in psalmody. 

In this way matters went on for some time, without producing 
any material effect on the relative situation of the contending 
powers. On a fine autumnal afternoon, Ichabod, in pensive 
mood, sat enthroned on the lofty stool whence he usually 
watched afl the concerns of his little literary realm. In his 
hand hjB'^wayed a ferule, that sceptre of despotic power ; the 
birck'of justice reposed on three nails, behind the throne, a 
constant terror to evil doers ; while on a desk before him might 
be seen sundry contraband articles and prohibited weapons, de- 
tected upon the persons of idle urchins, such as half-munched 
apples, popguns, whirligigs, fly-cages, and whole legions of 
rampant little paper game-cocks. Apparently, there had been 
some appalling act of justice recently inflicted, for his scholars 
were all busily intent upon their books, or slily whispering be- 
hind^ them, with one eye kept upon the master, and a kind of 
buzzing stillness reigned throughout the school-room. It was 
suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a negro, in tow- 
cloth jacket and trowsers, a round crowned fragment of a hat, 
like the cap of Mercury, and mounted on the back of a ragged, 
wild, half-broken colt, which he managed with a rope, by way 



€i)t EcgcnU of JSIccpg l^oUofa. 59 



of halter. He came clattering up to the school door with an in- 
vitation to Ichabou to attend a merry making, or " quilting frolic," 
to be held, that evening at Mynheer Van Tassel's, and having de- 
livered his message with that air of importance, and effort at 
fine language, which a negro is apt to display on petty embas- 
sies of the kind, he dashed over the brook, and was seen 
scampermg away up the hollow, full of the importance and 
hurry of his mission. 

All was now bustle and hubbub in the late quiet school- 
room. The scholars were hurried through their lessons, with- 
out stopping at trifles ; those who were nimble, skipped over 
half with impunity, and those who were tardy, had a smart 
application now and then in the rear, to quicken their speed, 
or help them over a tall word. Books were flung aside with- 
out being put away on the shelves, inkstands were overturned, 
benches thrown down, and the whole school was turned loose 
an hour before the usual time, bursting forth like a legion of 
young imps, yelping and racketing about the green, in joy at 
their early emancipation. 

The gallant Ichabod now spent at least an extra half hour at 
his toilet, brushing and furbishing up his best, and indeed only 
suit of rusty black, and arranging his looks by a bit of broken 
looking-glass, that hung up in the school house. That he 
might make his appearance before his mistress in the true style 
of a cavalier, he borrowed a horse from the farmer with whom 
he was domiciliated, a choleric old Dutchman, of the name of 
Hans Van Ripper, and, thus gallantly mounted, issued forth, 
Hke a knight errant in quest of adventures. But it is meet 1 
should, in the true spirit of romantic story, give some account 
of the looks and equipments of my hero and his steed. The 
animal he bestrode was a broken down plough horse, that had 
outlived almost everything but his viciousness. He was gaunt 
and shagged, with a ewe neck and a head like a hannner ; his 
rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burrs ; one 
eye had lust its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the 
other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it. Still he must 



60 «ll3ooftoftte?^uliBon. 



have had fire and mettle in his day, if we may judge from the 
name he bore of Gunpowder. He had, in fact, been a favorite 
steed of his masters, the choleric Van Ripper, who was a furious 
rider, and had infused, very probably, some of his own spirit 
into the animal ; for, old and broken down as he looked, there 
was more of the lurking devil in him than in any young filly 
in the country. 

Ichabod was a suitable figure for such a steed. He rode 
with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the 
pommel of the saddle ; his sharp elbows stuck out like grass- 
hoppers' ; he carried his whip perpendicularly in his hand, like 
a sceptre, and, as his horse jogged on, the motion of his arms 
was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings. A small wool 
hat rested on the top of his nose, for so his scanty strip of fore- 
head might be called, and the skirts of his black coat fluttered 
out almost to the horse's tail. Such was the appearance of 
Ichabod and his steed, as they shambled out of the gate of 
Hans Van Ripper, and it was altogether such an apparition 
as is seldom to be met with in broad daylight. 

It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day ; the sky was 
clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery 
which we always associate with the idea of abundance. The 
forests had put on their sober brown and yellow, while some 
trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into 
brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet. Streaming files 
of wild ducks began to make their appearance high in the air ; 
the bark of the squirrel might be heard from the groves of 
beech and hickory nuts, and the pensive whistle of the quail at 
intei-vals from the neighboring stubble field. 

The small birds were taking their farewell banquets. In the 
fulness of their revelry, they fluttered, chirping and frolicking, 
from bush to bush, and tree to tree, capricious from the very 
profusion and variety around them. There was the honest 
cock-robin, the favorite game of stripling sportsmen, with its 
loud querulous note, and the twittering blackbirds flying in 
sable clouds, and the golden-winged woodpecker, with his 



Cfje iLcgculJ of Sleeps ?^ollo&). 61 



crimson crest, his broad black gorget, and splendid plumage, 
and the cedar bird, with its red-tipt wings and yellow-tipt tail, 
and its little monteiro cap of feathers, and the blue jay, that 
noisy coxcomb, in his gay light blue coat and white under 
clothes, screaming and chattering, nodding, and bobbing, and 
bowing, pretending to be on good terms with every songster 
of the grove. 

As Ichabod jogged slowly on his way, his eye, ever open to 
every symptom of culinary abundance, ranged with delight 
over the treasures of jolly autumn. On all sides he beheld 
vast store of apples, some hanging in oppressive opulence on 
the trees, some gathered into baskets and barrels for the mar- 
ket, others heaped up in rich piles for the cider-press. Further 
on he beheld great fields of Indian corn, with its golden ears 
peeping from their leafy coverts, and holding out the promise of 
cakes and hasty pudding, and the yellow pumpkins lying beneath 
them, turning up their fair round bellies to the sun, and giving 
ample prospects of the most luxurious of pies ; and anon he 
passed the fragrant buckwheat fields, breathing the odor of the 
bee-hive, and as he beheld them, soft anticipations stole over 
his mind of dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with 
honey or treacle, by the delicate little dimpled hand of 
Katrina Van Tassel. 

Thus feeding his mind with many sweet thoughts and 
" sugared suppositions," he journeyed along the sides of a range 
of hills which look out upon some of the goodliest scenes of 
the mighty Hudson. The sun gradually wheeled his broad 
disc down into the west. The wide bosom of the Tappan 
Zee lay motionless and glassy, excepting that here and there a ' 
gentle undulation waved and prolonged the blue shadow of the 
distant mountain. A few amber clouds floated in the sky, 
without a breath of air to move them. The horizon was of a 
fine golden tint, changing gradually into a pure apple green, 
and from that into the deep blue of the mid heaven. A slant- ' 
ing ray lingered on the woody crests of the precipices that 
overhung some parts of the river, giving greater depth to the 



62 ^ 33ooTt oF tTjc munson. 

dark grey and purple of their rocky sides. A sloop was 
loitering in the distance, dropping slowly down with the tide, 
her sail hanging uselessly against the mast ; and as the reflec- 
tion of the sky gleamed along the still water, it seemed as if 
the vessel was suspended in the air. 

It was towards evening that Ichabod arrived at the castle of 
the Heer Van Tassel, which he found thronged with the pride 
and flower of the adjacent country. Old farmers, a spare 
leathem-faced race, in homespun coats and breeches, blue 
stockings, huge shoes, and magnificent pewter buckles. Their 
brisk withered little dames, in close crimped caps, long-waisted 
shortgowns, homespun petticoats, with scissors and pincushions, 
and gay calico pockets hanging on the outside. Buxom 
lasses, almost as antiquated as their mothers, excepting where 
a straw hat, a fine riband, or perhaps a white frock, gave 
symptoms of city innovation. The sons, in short square- 
skirted coats with rows of stupendous brass buttons, and 
their hair generally queued in the fashion of the times, especially 
if they could procure an eel-skin for the purpose, it being 
esteemed, throughout the country, as a potent nourisher and 
strcngthener of the hair. 

Brom Bones, however, was the hero of the scene, having 
come to the gathering on his favorite steed Daredevil, a crea- 
ture, like himself, full of mettle and mischief, and which no one 
but himself could manage. He was, in fact, noted for pre- 
ferring vicious animals, given to all kinds of tricks, which kept 
the rider in constant risk of his neck, for he held a tractable 
well-broken horse as unworthy of a lad of spirit. 

Fain would I pause to dwell upon the world of charms that 
burst upon the enraptured gaze of my hero, as he entered the 
state parlor of Van Tassel's mansion. Not those of the bevy 
of buxom lasses, with their luxurious display of red and white ; 
but the ample charms of a genuine Dutch country tea-table, in 
the sumptuous time of autumn. Such heaped-up platters of 
cakes of various and almost indescribable kinds, known only to 
experienced Dutch housewives! There was the doughty 



Ef)e ILcscnti of^Icrpu lHolloii). 63 



dough-nut, the tenderer oly kock, and the crisp and crumbhng 
cruller ; sweet cakes and short cakes, ginger cakes and honey 
cakes, and the whole family of cakes. And then there were 
apple pies and peach pies and pumpkin pies ; besides slices of 
ham and smoked beef; and moreover delectable dishes of pre- 
served plums, and peaches, and pears, and quinces ; not to 
mention broiled shad and roasted chickens ; together with 
bowls of milk and cream, all mingled higgledy-piggledy, pretty 
much as I have enumerated them, with the motherly tea-pot 
sending up its clouds of vapor from the midst — Heaven bless 
the mark ! I want breath and time to discuss this banquet as 
it deserves, and am too eager to get on with my story. 
Happily, Ichabod Crane was not in so great a hurry as his 
historian, but did ample justice to every dainty. 

He was a kind and thankful creature, whose heart dilated in 
proportion as his skin was filled with good cheer ; and whose 
spirits rose with eating as some men's do with drink. He could 
not help, too, rolling his large eyes round him as he ate, and 
chuckling with the possibility that he might one day be lord of 
all this scene of almost unimaginable luxury and splendor. 
Then, he thought, how soon he'd turn his back upon the old 
school-house ; snap his fingers in the face of Hans Van Ripper, 
and every other niggardly patron, and kick any itinerant 
pedagogue out of doors that should dare to call him comrade ! 

Old Baltus Van Tassel moved about among his guests with .; 
a face dilated with content and good humor, round and jolly 
as the harvest moon. His hospitable attentions were brief, but 
expressive, being confined to a shake of the hand, a slap on the 
shoulder, a loud laugh, and a pressing invitation to " fall to, 
and help themselves." 

And now the sound of the music from the common room, or 
hall, summoned to the dance. The musician was an old 
grey-headed negro, who had been the itinerant orchestra of the 
neighborhood for more than half a century. His instmment 
was as old and battered as himself. The greater part of the 
time he scraped on two or three strings, accompanying every 



64 SLJUoohoftfjeil^ulJaon- 



movement of the bow with a motion of the head ; bowing 
almost to the ground, and stamping with his foot whenever a 
fresh couple were to. start. 

Ichabod prided himself upon his dancing as much as upon, 
his vocal powers. Not a limb, not a fibre about him was idle ; 
and to have seen his loosely hung frame in full motion, and 
clattering about the room, you would have thought Saint Vitus 
himself, that blessed patron of the dance, was figuring before 
you in person. He was the admiration of all the negroes ; 
who, having gathered, of all ages and sizes, from the farm and 
the neighborhood, stood fomiing a pyramid of shining black 
faces at every door and window, gazing with delight at the 
scene, rolling their white eyeballs, and showing grinning rows 
of ivory from ear to ear. How could the flogger of urchins be 
otherwise than animated and joyous 1 The lady of his heart was 
his partner in the dance, and smiling graciously in reply to all 
his amorous oglings ; while Brom Bones, sorely smitten with 
love and jealousy, sat brooding by himself in one corner. 

When the dance was at an end, Ichabod was attracted to a 
knot of the sager folks, who, with old Van Tassel, sat smoking 
at one end ot the piazza, gossiping over former times, and 
drawing out long stories about the war. 

This neighborhood, at the time of which I am speaking, was 
one of those highly favored places which abound with chronicle 
and great men. The British and American line had run near 
it during the war ; it had, therefore, been the scene of maraud- 
ing, and infested with refugees, cow-boys, and all kinds of 
border chivalry. Just sufficient time had elapsed to enable 
each story-teller to dress up his tale with a little becoming 
fiction, and, in the indistinctness of his recollection, to make 
himself the hero of every exploit. 

There was the story of Dufliie Martling, a large blue- 
bearded Dutchman, who had nearly taken a British frigate with 
an old iron nine-pounder from a mud breastwork, only that his 
gun burst at the sixth discharge. And there was an old gentle- 
man who shall be nameless, being too rich a mynheer to be 



CTfjE JLtQents of .Sleeps fllolIoiD. 65 



lightly mentioned, who, in the battle of Whiteplains, being an 
excellent master of defence, parried a musket ball with a small 
sword, insomuch that he absolutely felt it whiz round the blade, 
and glance off at the hilt : in proof of which, he was ready at 
any tune to show the sword, with the hilt a little bent. There 
were several more that had been equally great in the field, not, 
one of whom but was persuaded that he had a considerable 
hand in bringing the war to a happy termination. 

But all these were nothing to the tales of ghosts and appari- 
tions that succeeded. The neighborhood is rich in legendary 
treasures of the kind. Local tales and superstitions thrive best 
in these sheltered, long-settled retreats ; but are trampled under 
foot by the shifting throng that forms the population of most 
of our country places. Besides, there is no encouragement for 
ghosts in most of our villages, for they have scarcely had time 
to finish their first nap, and turn themselves in their graves, 
before their surviving friends have travelled away from the 
neighborhood ; so that when they turn out at night to walk 
their rounds, they have no acquaintance left to call upon. 
This is, perhaps, the reason why we so seldom hear- of ghosts 
except in our long-established Dutch communities. 

The immediate cause, however, of the prevalence of super- 
natural stories in these parts, was doubtless owing to the 
vicinity of Sleepy Hollow. There was a contagion in the 
very air that blew from that haunted region ; it breathed forth 
an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land^ 
Several of the Sleepy Hollow people were present at Van 
Tassel's, and, as usual, were doling out their wild and won- 
derful legends. Many dismal tales were told about funeral 
trains, and mourning cries and wailings heard and seen about 
the great tree where the unfortunate Major Andre was taken, 
and which stood in the neighborhood. Some mention was 
made also of the woman in white, that haunted the dark glen 
at Raven Rock, and was often heard to shriek on winter 
nights before a storm, having perished there in the snow. The 
chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite 



65 QlSookoftljef^uftson. 



spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the headless horseman, who had 
been heard several times of late, patrolling the country ; and, 
it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the 
church -yard. 

The sequestered situation of this church seems always to 
have made it a favorite haunt of troubled spirits. It stands on 
a knoll, surrounded by locust-trees and lofty elms, from among 
which its decent whitewashed walls shine modestly forth, lilie 
Christian purity, beaming through the shades of retirement. A 
gentle slope descends from it to a silver sheet of water, bor- 
dered by high trees, between which peeps may be caught at 
the blue hills of the Hudson. To look upon its grass-grown 
yard, where the sunbeams seem to sleep so quietly, one would 
think that there at least the dead might rest in peace. On one 
side of the church extends a wide woody dell, along which 
raves a large brook among broken rocks and trunks of fallen 
trees. Over a deep black part of the stream, not far from the 
church, was formerly thrown a wooden bridge ; the road that 
led to it, and the bridge itself, were thickly shaded by over- 
hanging »ti"ees, which cast a gloom about it, even in the 
daytime ; but occasioned a fearful darkness at night. Such 
was one of the favorite haunts ol" the headless horseman ; and 
the place where he was most frequently encountered. The 
tale was told of old Brouwer, a most heretical disbeliever in 
ghosts, how he met the horseman returning from his foray into 
Sleepy Hollow, and was obliged to get up behind him ; how 
they galloped over bush and brake, over hill and swamp, until 
they reached the bridge ; when the horseman suddenly turned 
into a skeleton, threw old Brouwer into the brook, and sprang 
away over the tree-tops with a clap of thunder. 

This story was immediately matched by a thrice marvellous 
adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the galloping 
Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that, on returning 
one night from the neighboring village of Sing- Sing, he had 
been overtaken by this midnight trooper ; that he had offered 
to race with him for a bowl of punch, and should have won it 



€iit Heflcntj of .Sleepa ?^olUiD. 67 



too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but, just as 
they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted, and 
vanished in a flash of fire. 

Ail these tales, told in that drowsy undertone with which 
men talk in the dark, the countenances of the listeners only 
now and then receiving a casual gleam from the glare of a 
pipe, sank deep into the mind of Ichabod. He repaid them in 
kind with large extracts from his invaluabl'e author, Cotton 
Mather, and added many marvellous events that had taken 
place in his native state of Connecticut, and fearful sights 
which he had seen in his nightly walks about Sleepy Hollow. 

The revel now gradually broke up. The old farmers 
gathered together their families in their wagons, and were 
heard for some time rattling along the hollow roads, and over 
the distant hills. Some of the damsels mounted on pillions 
behind their favorite swains, and their light-hearted laughter, 
mingling with the clatter of hoofs, echoed along the silent 
woodlands, sounding fainter and fainter until they gradually 
died away — and the late scene of noise and frolic was all 
silent and deserted. Ichabod only lingered behin(i^ according 
to the custom of country lovers, to have a tete-a-tete with 
the heiress, fully convinced that he was now on the high road 
to success. What passed at this interview I will not pretend 
to say, for in fact I do not know. Something, however, I fear 
me, must have gone wrong, for he certainly sallied forth, after 
no very great intei-val, with an air quite desolate and chop- 
fallen — Oh these women! these women! Could that girl 
have been playing off any of her coquettish tricks ? — Was her 
encouragement of the poor pedagogue all a mere sham to 
secure her conquest of his rival ? — Heaven only knows, not 
I ! — Let it suffice to say, Ichabod stole forth with the air of 
one who had been sacking a hen-roost, rather than a fair lady's 
heart. Without looking to the right or left to notice the scene 
of rural wealth, on which he had so often gloated, he went 
straight to the stable, and with several hearty cuffs and kicks, * 
roused his steed most uncourteoihsly from the comfortable 



68 ^ JSoofe of tf)c l^utjson. 



quarters in which he was soundly sleeping, dreaming of 
mountains of corn and oats, and whole valleys of timothy and 
clover. 

It was the very witching time of night that Ichabod, heavj''- 
hearted and crest-fallen, pursued his travel homewards, along 
the sides of the lofty hills which rise above Tarry Town, and 
which he had traversed so cheerily in the afternoon. The 
hour was as dismal as himself. Far below him, the Tappan 
Zee spread its dusky and indistinct waste of waters, with here 
and there the tall mast of a sloop, riding quietly at anchor 
under the land. In the dead hush of midnight, he could even 
hear the barking of the watch-dog from the opposite shore of 
the Hudson ; but it was so vague and faint as only to give an 
idea of his distance from this faithful companion of man. 
Now and then, too, the long-drawn crowing of a cock, 
accidentally awakened, would sound far, far off, from some 
fannhouse away among the hills — but it was like a dreaming 
sound in his ear. No signs of life occurred near him, but 
occasionally the melancholy chkp of a cricket, or perhaps the 
guttural twang of a bull-frog, from a neighboring marsh, as if 
sleeping uncomfortably, and turning suddenly in his bed. 

All the stories of ghosts and goblins that he had heard in 
the afternoon, now came crowding upon his recollection. The 
night grew darker and darker ; the stars seemed to sink deeper 
in the sky, and driving clouds occasionally hid them from his 
sight. He had never felt so lonely and dismal. He was, 
moreover, approaching the very place where many of the 
scenes of the ghost stories had been laid. In the centre of the 
? road stood an enormous tulip-tj-ee, which towered like a giant 
^ above all the other trees of the neighborhood, and formed a 
kind of landmark. Its limbs were gnarled, and fantastic, 
large enough to form trunks for ordinary trees, twisting down 
almost to the earth, and rising again into the air. It was 
connected with the tragical story of the unfortunate Andre, 
who had been taken prisoner hard by ; and was universally 
known by the name of Major Andre's tree. The common 



STfjc ILcgcnti of bleeps f^olloto. 69 



people regarded it with a mixture of respect and superstition, 
partly out of sympathy for the fate of its ill-starred namesake, 
and partly from the tales of strange sights and doleful lamen- 
tations told concernhig it. 

As Ichabod approached this fearful tree, he began to whistle : 
he thought his whistle was answered — it was but a blast sweep- 
ing sharply through the dry branches. As he approached a 
little nearer, he thought he saw something white, hanging in 
the midst of the tree — he paused and ceased whistling ; but on 
looking more narrowly, perceived that it was a place where the 
tree had been scathed by lightning, and the white wood laid 
bare. Suddenly he heard a groan — his teeth chattered and his 
knees smote against the saddle : it was but the rubbing of one 
huge bough upon another, as they were swayed about by the 
breeze. He passed the tree in safety, but new perils lay before 
him. 

About two hundred yards from the tree a small brook crossed 
the road, and ran into a marshy and thickly-wooded glen, 
known by the name of Wiley's swamp. A few rough logs, 
laid side by side, served for a bridge over this stream. On that 
side of the road where the brook entered the wood, a group of 
oaks and chestnuts, matted thick vdth wild grape-vines, threw 
a cavernous gloom over it. To pass this bridge was the 
severest trial. It was at this identical spot that the unfortunate 
Andre was captured, and under the covert of those chestnuts 
and vines were the sturdy yeomen concealed who surprised 
him. This has ever since been considered a haunted stream, 
and fearful are the feeUngs of the schoolboy who has to pass it 
alone after dark. 

As he approached the stream, his heart began to thump ; he 
summoned up, however, all his resolution, gave his horse half a 
score of kicks in the ribs, and attempted to dash briskly across 
the bridge ; but instead of starting forward, the pei-verse old 
animal made a lateral movement, and ran broadside against 
the fence. Ichabod, whose fears increased with the delay, 
jerked the reins on the other side, and kicked lustily with the 



I'D S Book of tl)e fHutison. 



contrary foot : it was all in vain ; his steed started, it is true, 
but it was only to plunge to the opposite side of the road into 
a thicket of brambles and alder bushes. The schoolmaster 
now bestowed both whip and heel upon the stai-veling ribs of 
old Gunpowder, who dashed forward, snuffling and snorting, 
but came to a stand just by the bridge, with a suddenness that 
had nearly sent his rider sprawling over his head. Just at this 
moment a plashy tramp by the side of the bridge caught the 
sensitive ear of Ichabod. In the dark shadow of the grove, on 
the margin of the brook, he beheld something huge, misshapen, 
black, and towering. It stirred not, but seemed gathered up in 
the gloom, like some gigantic monster ready to spring upon the 
traveller. 

The hair of the affrighted pedagogue rose upon his head with 
terror. What was to be done 1 To turn and fly was now too 
late ; and besides, what chance was there of escaping ghost or 
goblin, if such it was, which could ride upon the wings of the 
wind? Summoning up, therefore, a show of courage, he 
demanded in stammering accents — " Who are you V' He 
received no reply. Ke repeated his demand in a still more 
agitated voice. Still there was no answer. Once more he 
cudgelled the sides of the inflexible Gunpowder, and, shutting 
his eyes, broke forth with involuntary fei-vor into a psalm tune. 
Just then the shadowy object of alarm put itself in motion, and, 
with a scramble and a bound, stood at once in the middle of 
the road. Though the night was dark and dismal, yet the 
form of the unknown might now in some degree be ascertained. 
He appeared to be a horseman of large dimensions, and 
mounted on a black horse of powerful frame. He made no 
offer of molestation or sociability, but kept aloof on one side of 
the road, jogging along on the blind side of old Gunpowder, 
who had now got over his fright and waywardness. 

Ichabod, who had no relish for this strange midnight com- 
panion, and bethought himself of the adventure of Brom Bones 
with the Galloping Hessian, now quickened his steed, in hopes 
of leaving him behind. The stranger, however, quickened his 



5i:i)C JLcflniticf bleeps ?llollofco. 71 



horse to an equal pace. Ichabod pulled up, and fell into a 
walk, thinking to lag behind — the other did the same. His 
heart began to sink within him ; he endeavored to resume his 
psalm tune, but his parched tongue clove to the roof of his 
mouth, and he could not utter a stave. There was something 
in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious com- 
panion, that was mysterious and appalling. It was soon 
learfully accounted for. On mounting a rising ground, which 
brought the figure of his fellow traveller in relief against the sky, 
gigantic, in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was 
horror-struck, on perceiving that he was headless ! — but hia 
horror was still more increased, on observing that the head, 
which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before 
him on the pommel of the saddle : his terror rose to despera- 
tion ; he rained a shower of kicks and blows upon Gunpowder, 
hoping, by a sudden movement, to give his companion the slip 
— but the upectre started full jump with him. Away then they 
dashed, through thick and thin ; stones flying, and sparks 
flashing, at every bound. Ichabod's flimsy garments fluttered 
in the air, as he stretched his long lank body away over his 
horse's head, in the eagerness of his flight. 

They had now reached the road which turns ofl" to Sleepy 
Hollow ; but Gunpowder, who seemed possessed with a demon, 
instead of keeping up it, made an opposite turn, and plunged 
headlong down hill to the left. This road leads through a 
sandy hollow, shaded by trees for about a quarter of a mile, 
where it crosses the bridge famous in goblin story, and just 
beyond swells the green knoll on which stands the white- 
washed church. 

As yet the panic of the steed had given his unskilful rider 
an apparent advantage in the chase ; but just as he had got half 
way through the hollow, the girths of the saddle gave way, and 
he felt it slipping from under him. He seized it by the pommel, 
and endeavored to hold it firm, but in vain ; and had just time 
to save himself by clasping old Gunpowder round the neck, 
when the saddle fell to the earth, and he heard it trarApled 



72 a Uook of tf)c f^utison. 



under foot by liis pursuer. For a moment the terror of Hans 
Van Rippers wrath passed across his mind — for it was his 
Sunday saddle ; but this was no time for petty fears ; the goblin 
was hard on his haunches ; and (unskilful rider that he was !) 
he had much ado to maintain his seat ; sometimes slipping on 
one side, sometimes on another, and sometimes jolted on the 
high ridge of his horse's back bone, with a violence that he 
verily feared would cleave him asunder. 

An opening in the trees now cheered him with the hopes that 
the church bridge was at hand. The wavering reflection of a 
silver star in the bosom of the brook told him that he was not 
mistaken. He saw the walls of the church dimly glaring un- 
der the trees beyond. He recollected the place where Brom 
Bones' ghostly competitor had disappeared. " If I can but 
reach that bridge," thought Ichabod, " I am safe." Just then 
he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind 
him ; he even fancied that he felt his hot breath. Another 
convulsive kick in the ribs, and old Gunpowder sprang upon 
the bridge ; he thundered over the resounding planks ; he 
gained the opposite side, and now Ichabod cast a look behind 
to see if his pursuer should vanish, according to rule, in a flash 
of fire and brimstone. Just then he saw the goblin rising in 
his stirrup, and in the very act of hurling his head at him. 
Ichabod endeavored to dodge the horrible missile, but too late. 
It encountered his cranium with a tremendous crash — he was 
tumbled headlong into the dust, and Gunpowder, the black 
steed, and the goblin rider passed by like a whirlwind. 

The next morning the old horse was found without his sad- 
dle, and with the bridle under his feet, soberly cropping the 
grass at his master's gate. Ichabod did not make his appear- 
ance at breakfast — dinner hour came, but no Ichabod. The 
boys assembled at the school-house, and strolled idly about the 
banks of the brook, but no schoolmaster. Hans Van Ripper 
now began to feel some uneasiness about the fate of poor 
Ichabod and his saddle. An inquiry was set on foot, and after 
diligtot investigation they came upon his traces. In one part 



(!rfjeiLcscnl3of,Slcfpa??olloin. 73 



of the road leading to the church was found the saddle 
trampled in the dirt ; the tracks of horses' hoofs deeply dented 
in the road, and evidently at furious speed, were traced to the 
bridge, beyond which, on the bank of a broad part of the 
brook, where the water ran deep and black, was found the 
hat of the unfortunate Ichabod, and close beside it a shattered 
pumpkin. 

The brook was searched, but the body of the schoolmaster 
was not to be discovered. Hans Van Ripper, as executor of 
his estate, examined the bundle which contained all his worldly 
effects. They consisted of two shirts and a half, two stocks 
for the neck, a pair or two of worsted stockings, an old pair 
of corduroy small-clothes, a rusty razor, a book of psalm 
tunes, full of dog's ears, and a broken pitch pipe. As to the 
books and furniture of the school-house, they belonged to the 
community, excepting Cotton Mathei-'s History of Witchcraft, 
a New England Almanac, and a book of dreams and fortune- 
telling, in which last was a sheet of foolscap, much scribbled 
and blotted, in several fruitless attempts to make a copy of 
verses in honor of the heiress of Van Tassel. These magio 
books and the poetic scrawl were forthwith consigned to the 
flames by Hans Van Ripper, who, from that time forward, de- 
termined to send his children no more to school, observing, 
that he never knew any good come of tliis same reading and 
writing. Whatever money the schoolmaster possessed, and he 
had received his quarter's pay but a day or two before, he must 
have had about his person at the time of his disappearance. 

The mysterious event caused much speculation at the 
church on the following Sunday. Knots of gazers and gos- 
sips were collected in the churchyard, at the bridge, and at the 
spot where the hat and pumpkin had been found. The stories 
of Brouwer, of Bones, and a whole budget of others, were 
called to mind, and when they had diligently considered them 
all, and compared them with the symptoms of the present case, 
they shook their heads, and came to the conclusion that Ichabod 
has been carried off by the galloping Hessian. As he was a 
4 



74 SlJ3ookoftf)«1^utisort. 



bachelor, and in nobody's debt, nobody troubled his head any 
more about him ; the school was removed to a different quar- 
ter of the hollow, and another pedagogue reigned in his 
Btead. 

It is true, an old farmer, who had been down to New York 
on a visit several years after, and from whom this account of 
the ghostly adventure was received, brought home the intelli- 
gence that Ichabod Crane was still alive ; that he had left the 
neighborhood, partly through fear of the goblin and Hans Van 
Ripper, and partly in mortification at having been suddenly 
dismissed by the heiress ; that he had changed his quarters to a 
distant part of the country, had kept school and studied law 
at the same time, had been admitted to the bar, turned politi- 
cian, electioneered, written for the newspapers, and finally had 
been made a justice of the Ten Pound Court. Brom Bones, 
too, who shortly after his rival's disappearance conducted the 
bloonaing Katrina in triumph to the altar, was obsei^ved to look 
exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was re- 
lated, and always burst into a hearty laugh at the mention of 
«the pumpkin, which led some to suspect that he knew more 
about the matter than he chose to tell. 

The old country wives, however, who are the best judges of 
these matters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited 
away by supernatural means, and it is a favorite story often 
told about the neighborhood round the winter evening fire. 
The bridge became more than ever an object of superstitious 
awe, and that may be the reason why the road has been altered 
of late years, so as to approach the church by the border of 
the mill-pond. The school-house being deserted, soon fell to 
decay, and was reported to be haunted by the ghost of the un- 
fortunate pedagogue, and the ploughboy, loitering homeward 
of a still summer evening, has often fancied his voice at a dis- 
tance, chanting a melancholy psalm tune among the tranquil 
solitudes of Sleepy Hollow. 



i^ojJtBcript. 75 



POSTSCRIPT. 

FOtJXD IN THE HANDWRITING OF MR. KNICKERBOCKER. 

The preceding Tale is given almost in the precise words in 
which I heard it related at a Corporation meeting at the an- 
cient city of Manhattoes, at which were present many of its 
sagest and most illustrious burghers. The narrator was a 
pleasant, shabby, gentlemanly old fellow, in pepper-and-salt 
clothes, with a sadly humorous face, and one whom I strongly 
suspected of being poor — he made such efforts to be enter- 
taining. When his story was concluded, there was much 
laughter and approbation, particularly from two or three 
deputy aldenTien, who had been asleep the greater part of the 
time. There was, however, one tall, dry looking old gentle- 
man, with beetling eyebrows, who maintained a grave and 
rather severe face throughout, now and then folding his arms, 
inclining his head, and looking down upon the floor, as if turn- 
ing a doubt over in his mind. Pie was one of your wary men, 
who never laugh but upon good grounds — when they have 
reason and law on their side. When the mirth of the rest of 
the company had subsided, and silence was restored, he leaned 
one arm on the elbow uf his chair, and, sticking the other 
a-kimbo, demanded, with a slight, but exceedingly sage motion 
of the head, and contraction of the brow, what was the 
moral of the story, and what it went to prove ? 

The story teller, who was just putting a glass of wine to his 
lips, as a refreshment after his toils, paused for a moment, look- 
ed at his inquirer with an air of infinite deference, and, lower- 
ing the glass slowly to the table, obsei-ved, that the story was 
intended most logically to prove — 

" Thai there is no situation in life but has its advantages and 
pleasures — provided we will but take a joke as we find it : 



76 ^ iSoofe of tfje ?^uDi5on. 



" That, therefore, he that runs races with gobliii troopers is 
likely to have rough riding of it. 

" Ergo, for a country schoolmaster to be refused the hand 
of a Dutch heiress, is a certain step to high preferment in the 
state." 

The cautious old gentleman knit his brows tenfold closer 
after this explanation, being sorely puzzled by the ratiocination 
of the syllogism, while, methought, the one in pepper-and-salt 
eyed him with something of a triumphant leer. At length, ho 
observed, that all this was very well, but still he thought the 
story a little on the extravagant — there were one or two points 
on which he had his doubts. 

" Faith, sir," replied the story teller, " as to that matter, I 
don't believe one half of it myself." 

D. K. 



13 olpf) %]enUQCx . 77 



DOLPH HEYLIGER. 

"I take tlie town of concord, where I dwell, 
All Kilborii be my witness, if I were not 
Begot in bashfulness, brought up in shaniefacedness : 
Let 'un bring a dog but to my vace that can 
Zay I have beat 'un, and without a vault ; 
Or but a cat will swear upon a book, 
I have as much as zet a vire her tail, 
And I'll give him or her a crown for 'mends." 

Tale of a Tub. 

In the early time of the province of New York, while it 
groaned under the tyranny of the English governor. Lord 
Conibury, who carried his cruelties towards the Dutch inha- 
bitants so far as to allow no Dominie, or schoolmaster, to 
officiate in their language, without his special license ; about 
this time, there lived in the jolly little old city of the Man- 
hattoes, a kind motherly dame, known by the name of Dame 
Heyliger. She was the widow of a Dutch sea-captain, who 
died suddenly of a fever, in consequence of working too hard, 
and eating too heartily, at the time when all the inhabitants 
turned out in a panic, to fortify the place against the invasion 
of a small French privateer.* He left her with very little 
money, and one infant son, the only survivor of several 
children. The good woman had need of much management 
to make both ends meet, and keep up a decent appearance. 
However, as her husband had fallen a victim to his zeal for the 
public safety, was universally agreed that " something ought 
to be done for the widow ;" and on the hopes of this " something" 
she lived tolerably for some years ; in the meantime every- 
body pitied and spoke well of her, and that helped along. 

* 1705. 



78 S ^aok of ti)e l^uUgon, 



She lived in a small house, in a small street, called Garden- 
street, very probably from a garden vrhich may have flourished 
there some time or other. As her necessities every year grew 
greater, and the talk of the public about doing " something 
for her" grew less, she had to cast about for some mode of 
doing something for herself, by way of helping out her slender 
means, and maintaining her independence, of which she was 
somewhat tenacious. 

Living in a mercantile town, she had caught something of 
the spirit, and determined to venture a little in the great lottery 
of commerce. On a sudden, therefore, to the great surprise of 
the street, there appeared at her window a grand array of 
gingerbread kings and queens, with their arms stuck a-kimbo, 
after the invariable royal manner. There were also several 
broken tumblers, some filled with sugar-plums, some with 
marbles ; there were, moreover, cakes of various kinds, and 
barley-sugar, and Holland dolls, and wooden horses, with 
here and there gilt-covered picture-books, and now and then 
a skein of thread, or a dangling pound of candles. At the 
door of the house sat the good old dame's cat, a decent 
demure-looking personage, who seemed to scan everybody 
that passed, to criticise their dress, and now and then to 
atretch her neck, and to look out with sudden curiosity, to 
see what was going on at the other end of the street ; but if 
by chance any idle vagabond dog came by, and ofiered to be 
uncivil — hoity-toity ! — how she would bristle up, and growl, 
and spit, and strike out her paws ! she was as indignant as 
ever was an ancient and ugly spinster on the approach of some 
graceless profligate. 

But though the good woman had to come down to those 
humble means of subsistence, yet she still kept up a feeling of 
family pride, being descended from the Vanderspiegels, of 
Amsterdam ; and she had the family arms painted and framed, 
and hung over her mantel-piece. She was, in truth, much re- 
spected by all the poorer people of the place ; her house was 
quite a resort of the old wives of the neighborhood ; they 



JSolpf) ^tQliQex. 79 



would drop in there of a winter's afternoon, as she sat knitting 
on one side of her fireplace, her cat purring on the other, and 
tlie tea-kettle singing before it, and they would gossip with her 
until late in the evening. There was always an arm chair for 
Peter de Groodt, sometimes called Long Peter, and sometimes 
Peter Longlegs, the clerk and sexton of the little Lutheran 
church, who was her great crony, and, indeed, the oracle of her 
fireside. Nay, the Dominie himself did not disdain, now and 
then, to step in, converse about the state of her mind, and take 
a glass of her special good cherry brandy. Lideed, he never 
failed to call on new year's day, and wish her a happy new 
year ; and the good dame, who was a . little vain on some 
points, always piqued herself on giving him as large a cake as 
any one in town. 

I have said that she had one son. He was the child of her 
old age ; but could hardly be called the comfort, for, of all un- 
lucky urchins, Dolph Heyliger was the most mischievous. Not 
that the whipster was really vicious, he was only full of fun and 
frolic, and had that daring, gamesome spirit, which is extolled in 
a rich man's child, but execrated in a poor man's. He was con- 
tinually getting into scrapes ; his mother was incessantly 
harassed with complaints of some waggish pranks which he 
had played off; bills were sent in for windows that he had 
broken ; in a word, he had not reached his fourteenth year be- 
fore he was pronounced, by all the neighborhood, to be a 
" wicked dog, the wickedest dog in the street !" Nay, one old 
gentleman, in a claret-colored coat, with a thin red face, and 
ferret eyes, went so far as to assure Dame Heyliger that her 
son would, one day or other, come to the gallows. 

Yet, notwithstanding all this, the poor soul loved her boy. 
It seemed as though she loved him the better the worse he be- 
haved, and that he grew more in her favor, the more he grew 
out of favor with the world. Mothers are foolish, fond-hearted 
beings ; there's no reasoning them out of their dotage ; and, 
indeed, this poor woman's child was all th.-it was left to love 
her in this world, so we must not thmk it hard that she turned 



80 aiJoofeoftfjelLHtison. 



a deaf ear to her good friends, who sought to prove to her that 
Dolph would come to a halter. 

To do the varlet justice, too, he was strongly attached to his 
parent. He would not willingly have given her pain on any 
account, and when he had been doing wrong, it was but for 
him to catch his poor mother's eye fixed wistfully and sorrow- 
fully upon him, to fill his heart with bitterness and contrition. 
But he was a heedless youngster, and could not, for the life of 
him, resist any new temptation to fun and mischief Though 
quick at his learning, whenever he could be brought to apply 
himself, he was always prone to be led away by idle company, 
and would play truant to hunt after birds' nests, to rob orchards, 
or to swim in the Hudson. 

In this way he grew up a tall, lubberly boy, and his mother 
began to be greatly perplexed what to do with him, or how to 
put him in a way to do for himself ; for he had acquired such 
an unlucky reputation, that no one seemed willing to employ 
him. 

Many were the consultations that she held with Peter de 
Groodt, the clerk and sexton, who was her prime counsellor. 
Peter was as much perplexed as herself, for he had no great 
opinion of the boy, and thought he would never come to good. 
He at one time advised her to eend him to sea — a piece of 
advice only given in the most desperate cases ; but Dame 
Heyliger would not listen to such an idea ; she could not think 
of letting Dolph go out of her sight. She was sitting one day 
knitting by the fireside, in great perplexity, when the sexton 
entered with an air of unusual vivacity and briskness. He had 
just come from a funeral. It had been that of a boy of Dolph's 
years, who had been apprentice to a famous German doctor, 
and had died of a consumption. It is true, there had been a 
whisper that the deceased had been brought to his end by being 
made the subject of the doctoi-'s experiments, on which he was 
apt to try the effects of a new compound, or a quieting draugjit. 
This, however, it^ is likely was a mere scandal ; at any rate, 
Peter de Groodt did not think it worth m.entioning, though, 



©olpf)|l}cDltgcr. 81 



had we time to philosophize, it would be a curious matter for 
speculation, why a doctcfr's family is apt to be so lean and 
cadaverous, and a butcher's so jolly and rubicund. 

Peter de Groodt, as I said before, entered the house of 
Dame Heyliger with vmusual alacrity. A bright idea had 
popped into his head at the funeral, over which he had 
chuckled as he shovelled the earth into the grave of the 
doctoi-'s disciple. It had occurred to him, that, as the situation 
of the deceased was vacant at the doctoi-'s, it would be the very 
place for Dolph. The boy had parts, and could pound a 
pestle, and run an errand with any boy in the town, and what 
more was wanted in a student ? 

The suggestion of the sage Peter was a vision of glory to the 
mother. She had already seen Dolph, in her mind's eye, with 
a cane at his nose, a knocker at his door, and an M.D. at the 
end of his name — one of the established dignitaries of the town. 
The matter once undertaken, was soon effected : the sexton 
had some influence with the doctor, they having had much 
dealing together in the way of their separate professions ; and 
the very next morning he called and conducted the urchin, clad 
in his Sunday clothes, to undergo the inspection of Dr. Karl 
Lodovick Knipperhausen. 

They found the doctor seated in an elbow-chair, in one 
corner of his study, or laboratory, with a large volume, in 
German print, before him. He was a short fat man, with a 
dark square face, rendered more dark by a black velvet cap. 
He had a little knobbed nose, not unhke the ace of spades, with 
a pair of spectacles gleaming on each side of his dusky 
countenance, like a couple of bow-windows. 

Dolph i'elt struck with awe on entering into the presence 
of this learned man ; and gazed about him with boyish wonder 
at the furniture of this chamber of knowledge, which appeared 
to him almost as the den of a magician. In the centre stood a 
claw-footed table, with pestle and mortar, phials and gallipots, 
and a pair of small burnished scales. At one end was a heavy 
clothee-press, turned into a receptacle for drugs and com- 
4* 



82 aiSooftoftfjel^uUson. 



pounds ; against which hung the doetoi-'s hat and .cloaii, and 
gold-headed cane, and on the top grinned a human skull. 
Along the mantel-piece were glass vessels, in which were 
snakes and lizards, and a human foetus preserved in spirits. A 
closet, the doors of which were taken off, contained three 
whole shelves of books, and some too of mighty folio disten- 
sions ; a collection, the like of which Dolph had never before 
beheld. As, however, the library did not take up the whole of 
the closet, the doctor's thrifty housekeeper had occupied the 
rest with pots of pickles and preserves ; and had hung about the 
room, among awful implements of the healing art, strings of 
red pepper and corpulent cucumbers, carefully preserved for 
seed, 

Peter de Groodt and his protege were received with great 
gravity and stateliness by the doctor, who was a very wise, 
dignified little man, and never smiled. He surveyed Dolph 
from head to foot, above, and under, and through his spectacles, 
and the poor lad's heart quailed as these great glasses glared 
on him like two full moons. The doctor heard all that Petei 
de Groodt had to say in favor of the youthful candidate ; and 
then wetting his thumb with the end of his tongue, he began 
deliberately to turn over page after page of the great black 
volume before him. At length, after many hums and haws, 
and strokings of the chin, and all that hesitation and delibera- 
tion with which a wise man proceeds to do what he intended 
to do from the very first, the doctor agreed to take the lad as a 
disciple ; to give him bed, board, and clothing, and to instruct 
him in the healing art ; in return for which he was to have his 
services until his twenty -first year. 

Behold, then, our hero, all at once transformed from an un- 
lucky urchin, running wild about the streets, to a student of 
medicine, diligently pounding a pestle, under the auspices of the 
learned Doctor Karl Lodovick Knipperhausen. It was a 
happy transition for his fond old mother. She was delighted 
with the idea of her boy's being brought up worthy of his 
ancestors ; and anticipated the day when he would be able to 



oIpO ?§f2liger. 83 



hold up his head with the lawyer, that lived in the large house 
opposite ; or, peradventure, with the Dominie himself. 

Doctor Knipperhausen was a native of the Palatinate in Ger- 
many ; whence, in company with many of his countrymen, he 
h9.d taken refuge in England, on account of religious persecu- 
tion. He was one of nearly three thousand Palatines, who 
came over from England in 1710, under the protection of 
Governor Hunter. Where the doctor had studied, how he had 
acquired his medical knowledge, and where he had received 
his diploma, it is hard at present to say, for nobody knew at 
the time ; yet it is certain that his profound skill and abstmse 
knowledge were the talk and wonder of the common people, 
far and near. 

His practice was totally different from that of any other 
physician ; consisting in mysterious compounds, known only to 
himself, in the preparing and administering of which, it was 
said, he always consulted the stars. So high an opinion was 
entertained of his skill, particularly by the German and Dutch 
inhabitants, that they always resorted to him in desperate 
cases. He was one of those infallible doctors, that are always 
effecting sudden and surprising cures, when the patient has 
been given up by all the regular physicians ; unless, as is 
shrewdly observed, the case has been left too long before it was 
put into their hands. The doctor's library was the talk and 
marvel of the neighborhood, I might almost say of the entire 
burgh. The good people looked with reverence at a man who 
had read three whole shelves full of books, and some of them 
too as large as a family Bible. There were many disputes 
among the members of the little Lutheran Church, as to which 
was the wisest man, the doctor or the Dominie. Some of his 
admirers even went so far as to say, that he knew more than 
the governor himself— in a word, it was thought that there was 
no end to his knowledge ! 

No sooner was Dolph received into the doctor's family, than 
he was put in possession of the lodging of his predecessor. It 
was a garret-room of a steep-roofed Dutch house, where the 



84 S 33oDk of tfje ?!3utison. 



rain pattered on the shingles, and the lightning gleamed, and 
the wind piped through the crannies in stonny weather ; and 
where whole troops of hungry rats, like Don Cossacks, galloped 
about, in defiance of traps and ratsbane. 

He was soon up to his ears in medical studies, being em- 
ployed, morning, noon, and night, in rolling pills, filtering 
tinctures, or pounding the pestle and mortar in one corner of 
the laboratory ; while the doctor would take his seat in 
another comer, when he had nothing else to do, or expected ' 
visitors, and arrayed in his morning-gown and velvet cap, 
would pore over the contents of some folio volume. It is true, 
that the regular thumping of Dolph's pestle, or, perhaps,- the 
drowsy buzzing of the summer flies, would now and then lull ] 
the little man into a slumber ; but then his spectacles were ] 
always wide awake, and studiously regarding the book. 

There was another personage in the house, however, to 
whom Dolph was obliged to pay allegiance. Though a ■ 
bachelor, and a man of such great dignity and importance, the - 
doctor was, like many other wise men, subject to petticoat ' 
government. He was completely under the sway of his 
housekeeper ; a spare, busy, fretting housewife, in a little, j 
round, quilted German cap, with a huge bunch of keys I 
jingling at the girdle of an exceedingly long waist. Frau Use i 
(or Frow Ilsy as it was pronounced) had accompanied him in 1 
his various migrations from Germany to England, and from ] 
England to the province ; managing his establishment and j 
himself too : ruling him, it is true, with a gentle hand, but ! 
carrying a high hand with all the world besides. How she ' 
had acquired such ascendency I do not pretend to say. I 
People, it is true, did talk — but have not people been prone ' 
to talk ever since the world began? Who can tell how ' 
women generally contrive to get the upper hand ? A husband, 
it is true, may now and then be master in his own house ; ] 
but who ever knew a bachelor that was not managed by his \ 
housekeeper 1 

Indeed, Frau Ilsy's power was not confined to the doctoi-'s i 



©olpfj f^CBltser. 85 



household. She was one of those prying gossips who know 
every one's business better than they do themselves ; and 
whose all-seeing eyes, and all-telling tongues, are terrors 
throughout a neighborhood. 

Nothing of any moment transpired in the world of scandal 
of this little burgh, but it was known to Frau llsy. She had 
her crew of cronies, that were perpetually hurrying to her 
little parlor with some precious bit of news ; nay, she would 
somethnes discuss a whole volume of secret history, as she 
held the street door ajar, and gossiped with one of these gar- 
rulous cronies in the very teeth of a December blast. 

Between the doctor and the housekeeper it maj' easily be 
supposed that Dolph had a busy life of it. As Frau llsy kept 
the keys, and literally ruled the roast, it was starvation to 
offend her, though he found the study of her temper more 
perplexing even than that of medicine. When not busy in the 
laboratory, she kept him running hither and thither on her 
errands ; and on Sundays he was obliged to accompany her 
to and from church, and carry her Bible. Many a time has 
the poor varlet stood shivering and blowing his fingers, or 
holding his frost-bitten nose, in the church-yard, while llsy 
and her cronies were huddled together, wagging their heads, 
and tearing some unlucky character to pieces. 

With all his advantages, however, Dolph made very slow 
progress in his art. This was no fault of the doctor's, cer- 
tainly, for he took unwearied pains with the lad, keeping him 
close to the pestle and mortar, or on the trot about town with 
phials and pill-boxes ; and if he ever flagged in his industry, 
which he was rather apt to do, the doctor would fly into a 
passion, and ask him if he ever expected to learn his profession, 
unless he applied himself closer to the study. The fact is,' he 
still retained the fondness for sport and mischief that had 
marked his childhood ; the habit, indeed, had strengthened 
with his years, and gained force from being thwarted and con- 
strained. He daily grew more and more untractable, and lost 
favor in the eyes both of the doctor and the housekeeper. 



86 QJUooRofttfl^utison. 

In the meantime the doctor went on, waxhig wealthy and 
renowned. He was famous for his skill in managing caees 
not laid down in the books. He had cm-ed several old 
women and young girls of witchcraft ; a terrible complaint, 
and nearly as prevalent in the province in those days as hy- 
drophobia is at present. He had even restored one strapping 
country girl to perfect health, who had gone so far as to vomit 
crooked pins and needles ; which is considered a desperate 
stage of the malady. It was whispered, also, that he was pos- 
sessed of the art of preparing love-powders ; and many appli- 
cations had he in consequence from love-sick patients of both 
sexes. But all these cases formed the' mysterious part of his 
practice, in which, according to the cant phrase, " secresy and 
honor might be depended on." Dolph, therefore, was obliged 
to turn out of the study whenever such consultations occurred, 
though it is said he learnt more of the secrets of the art at the 
key-hole, than by all the rest of his studies put together. 

As the doctor increased in wealth, he began to extend his 
possessions, and to look forward, like other great men, to the 
time when he should retire to the repose of a country seat. 
For this purpose he had purchased a faiTn, or, as the Dutch 
settlers called it, a bowerie, a few miles from town. It had 
been the residence of a wealthy family, that had returned some 
time since to Holland. A large mansion-house stood in the 
centre of it, very itiuch out of repair, and which, in conse- 
quence of certain reports, had received the appellation of the 
Haunted House. Either from these reports, or from its actual 
dreariness, the doctor found it impossible to get a tenant ; and, 
that the place might not fall to ruin before he could reside in 
it himself, he placed a country boor, with his family, in one 
wing, with the privilege of cultivating the farm on shares. 

The doctor now felt all the dignity of a landholder rising 
within him. He had a little of the German pride of territory 
in his composition, and almost looked upon himself as owner 
of a principality. He began to complain of the fatigue of 
business ; and was fond of riding out " to look at his estate." 



IDoIpfjfSJcBligcr. 87 



His little expeditions to his lands were attended with a bustle 
and parade that created a sensation throughout the neighbor- 
hood. His wall-eyed horse stood, stamping and whisking off 
the Hies, for a full hour before the house. Then the doctor's 
saddle-bags would be brought out and adjusted ; then, after a 
little while, his cloak would be rolled up and strapped to the 
saddle ; then his umbrella would be buckled to the cloak ; 
while, in the meantime, a group of ragged boys, that observant 
class of beings, would gather before the door. At length the 
doctor would issue forth, in a pair of jack-boots that reached 
above his knees, and a cocked-hat flapped down in front. As 
he was a short, fat man, he took some time to mount into the 
saddle ; and when there, he took some time to have the saddle 
and stirrups properly adjusted, enjoying the wonder and admi- 
ration of the urchin crowd. Even after he had set off, he 
would pause in the middle of the street, or trot back two or 
three times to give some parting orders ; which were answered 
by the housekeeper from the door, or Dolph from the study, or 
the black cook from the cellar, or the chambermaid from the 
garret window ; and there were generally some last words 
bawled after him, just as he was turning the comer. 

The whole neighborhood would be aroused by this pomp 
and circumstance. The cobbler would leave his last ; the 
barber would thrust out his frizzed head, with a comb sticking 
in it ; a knot would collect at the grocei-'s door, and the word 
would be buzzed from one end of the street to the other, " The 
doctor's riding out to his country seat." 

These were golden moments for Dolph. No sooner was the 
doctor out of sight, than pestle and mortar were abandoned ; 
the laboratory was left to take care of itself, and the student 
was off on some mad-cap frolic. 

Indeed, it must be confessed, the youngster, as he grew up, 
seemed in a fair way to fulfil the prediction of the old claret- 
colored gentleman. He was the ringleader of all holiday 
sports and midnight gambols ; ready for all kinds of mis- 
chievous pranks and harebrained adventures. 



68 SI 33ooft of tf)« l^uHson. 



There is nothing so troublesome as a hero on a small scale, 
or, rather, a hero in a small town. Dolph soon became the 
abhorrence of all drowsy, housekeeping old citizens, who 
hated noise, and had no relish for waggery. The good dames, 
too, considered him as little better than a reprobate, gathered their 
daughters under their wings whenever he approached, and 
pointed him out as a warning to their sons. No one seemed 
to hold him in much regard, excepting the wild striplings of 
the place, who were captivated by his open-hearted, daring 
manners, and the negroes, who always look upon every idle, do- 
nothing youngster as a kind of gentleman. Even the good 
Peter de Groodt, who had considered himself a kind of patron 
of the lad, began to despair of him, and would shake his head 
dubiously, as he listened to a long complaint from the house- 
keeper, and sipped a glass of her raspberry brandy. 

Still his mother was not to be wearied out of her affection 
by all the waywardness of her boy, nor disheartened by the 
stories of his misdeeds, with which her good friends were con- 
tinually regaling her. She had, it is true, very little of the 
pleasure which rich people enjoy, in always hearing their chil- 
dren praised ; but she considered all this ill-will as a kind of 
persecution which he suffered, and she liked him better on that 
account. She saw him growing up a fine, tall, good looking 
youngster, and she looked at him with the secret pride of a 
mother's heart. It was her great desire that Dolph should ap- 
pear like a gentleman, and all the nioney she could save went 
towards helping out his pocket and his wardrobe. She would 
look out of the window after him, as he sallied forth in his 
best array, and her heart would yearn with delight, and once, 
when Peter de Groodt, strack with the youngster's gallant ap- 
pearance on a bright Sunday morning, observed, " Well, after 
all, Dolph does grow a comely fellow !" the tear of pride start- 
ed into the mother's eye ; " Ah, neighbor, neighbor !" exclaim- 
ed she, " they may say what they please, poor Dolph will yet 
hold up his head with the best of them." 

Dolph Heyliger had now nearly attamed his one-and-twentieth 



-^i^ 



year, and the term of his medical studies was just expiring ; 
yet it must be confessed that he knew little more of the pro- 
fession than when he first entered the doctoi-'s door. This, 
however, could not be from any want of quickness of parts, 
for he showed amazing aptness in mastering other branches of 
knowledge, which he could only have studied at intervals. He 
was, for instance, a sure marksman, and won all the geese and 
turkeys at Christmas holidays. He was a bold rider ; he was 
famous for leaping and wrestling ; he played tolerably on the 
fiddle ; could swim like a fish, and was the best hand in the 
whole place at fives or ninepins. 

All these accomplishments, however, procured him no favor 
in the eyes of the doctor, who grew more and more crabbed 
and intolerant the nearer the term of apprenticeship approach- 
ed. Frau Ilsy, too, was for ever finding some occasion to 
raise a Mundy tempest about his ears ; and seldom encountered 
him about the house, without a clatter of the tongue ; so that 
at length the jingling of her keys, as she approached, was to 
Dolph like the ringing of the prompter's bell, that gives notice 
of a theatrical thunder-storm. Nothing but the infinite good 
humor of the heedless youngster enabled him to bear all this 
domestic tyranny without open rebellion. It was evident that 
the doctor and his housekeeper were preparing to beat the poor 
youth out of the nest, the moment his term should have ex- 
pired, a short-hand mode which the doctor had of providing 
for useless disciples. 

Indeed the little man had been rendered more than usually 
irritable lately, in consequence of various cares and vexations 
which his country estate had brought upon him. The doctor 
had been repeatedly annoyed by the nimors and tales which 
prevailed concerning the old mansion, and found it difficult to 
prevail even upon the countryman and his family to remain 
there rent-free. Every time he rode out to the farm he was 
teased by some fresh complaint of strange noises and fearful 
sights, with which the tenants were disturbed at night ; and the 
doctor would come home fretting and fuming, and vent his 



90 Cl33ookoftf)c1§utrson. 

—^ 

spleen upon the whole household. It was indeed a sore 
grievance, that affected him both in pride and purse. He was 
threatened with an absolute loss of the profits of his property, 
and then, what a blow to his territorial consequence, to be the 
landlord of a haunted house. 

It was observed, however, that with all his vexation, the 
doctor never proposed to sleep in the house himself ; nay, he 
could never be prevailed upon to remain on the premises after 
dark, but made the best of his way for town as soon as the bats 
began to flit about in the twilight. The fact was, the doctor 
had a secret belief- in ghosts, having passed the early part of 
his lifft in a country where they particularly abound ; and, in- 
deed, the story went that, when a boy, he had once seen the 
devil upon the Hartz mountains in Germany. 

At length the doctoi-'s vexations on this head were brought 
to a crisis. One morning, as he sat dozing over a volume in 
his study, he was suddenly startled from his slumbers by the 
bustling in of the housekeeper. 

" Here's a fine to-do !" cried she, as she entered the room. 
" Here's Claus Hopper come in, bag and baggage, from the 
farm, and swears he'll have nothing more to do with it. The 
whole family have been frightened out of their wits, for there's 
such racketing and rummaging about the old house, that 'they 
can't sleep quiet in their beds !" 

" Donner und blitzen !" cried the doctor, impatiently. " Will 
they never have done chattering about that house ? What a 
pack of fools, to let a few rats and mice frighten them out of 
good quarters." 

" Nay, nay," said the housekeeper, wagging her head know- 
ingly, and piqued at having a good ghost-story doubted, 
•' there's rnore in it than rats and mice. All the neighborhood 
talks about the house ; and then such sights as have been seen 
in it. Peter de Groodt tells me that the family that sold you 
the house, and went to Holland, dropped several strange hints 
about it, and said, ' they wished you joy of your bargain ;' and 
you know yourself there's no getting any family to live in it." 



©Olpf) ^tQliQtT. 91 



" Peter De Groodt's a ninny — an old woman," said the 
doctor, peevishly ; " I'll warrant he's been filling these people's 
heads full of stories. It's just like his nonsense about the ghost 
that haunted the church belfry, as an excuse for not ringing the 
bell that cold night when Harmanus Brinkerhoff's house waa^ 
on fire. Send Claus to me." 

Claus Hopper now made his appearance : a simple country 
lout, full of awe at finding himself in the very study of Dr. 
Knipperhausen, and too much embarrassed to enter in much 
detail of the matters that had caused his alarm. He stood 
twirling his hat in one hand, resting sometimes on one leg, 
sometimes on the other, looking occasionally at the doctor, 
and now and then stealing a iearful glance at the death's head 
that seemed ogling him from the top of the clothes-press. 

The doctor tried every means to persuade him to return to 
the farm, but all in vain ; he maintained a dogged determination 
on the subject ; and at the close of every argument or solicita- 
tion would make the same brief, inflexible reply, " Ich kan 
nicht, mynheer." The doctor was a " little pot, and soon 
hot ;" his patience was exhausted by these continual vexations 
about his estate. The stubborn refusal of Claus Hopper 
seemed to him like flat rebellion ; his temper suddenly boiled 
over, and Claus was glad to make a rapid retreat to escape 
scalding. 

When the bumpkin got to the housekeeper's room, he found 
Peter de Groodt, and several other true believers, ready to re- 
ceive him. Here he indemnified himself for the restraint he had 
suflTered in the study, and opened a budget of stories about the 
haunted house that astonished all his hearers. The house- 
keeper believed them all, if it was only to spite the doctor for 
having received her intelligence so uncourteousiy. Peter de 
Groodt matched them with many a wonderful legend of the 
times of the Dutch dynasty, and of the Devil's Stepping-stones ; 
and of the pirate hanged at Gibbet Island, that continued to 
swing there at night long after the gallows was taken down ; 
and of the ghost of the unfortunate Governor Leisler, hanged 



92 a3Sooftoft§ef^uD0on. 

for treason, which haunted the old fort and the government- 
house. The gossiping knot dispersed, each charged with 
direful intelligence. The sexton disburdened himself at a 
vestry meeting that was held that very day, and the black cook 
forsook her kitchen, and spent half the day at the street pump, 
that gossiping-place of servants, dealing forth the news to all 
that came for water. In a little time the whole town was in a 
buzz with tales about the haunted house. Some said that 
Claus Hopper had seen the devil, while others hinted that the 
house was haunted by the ghosts of some of the patients whom 
the doctor had physicked out of the world, and that was the 
reason why he did not venture to live in it himself. 

All this put the little doctor in a terrible fume. He threat- 
ened vengeance on any one who should affect the value of his 
property by exciting popular prejudices. He complained 
loudly of thus being in a manner dispossessed of his territories 
by mere bugbears ; but he secretly determined to have the house 
exorcised by the Dominie. Great was his relief, therefore, 
when, m the midst of his perplexities, Dolph stepped forward 
and undertook to garrison the haunted house. The youngster 
had been listening to all the stories of Claus Hopper and Peter 
de Groodt : he was fond of adventure, he loved the marvellous, 
and his imagination had become quite excited by these tales of 
wonder. Besides, he had led such an uncomfortable hfe at the 
doctor's, being subjected to the intolerable thraldom of early 
hours, that he was delighted at the prospect of having a house 
to himself, even though it should be a haunted one. His offer 
was eagerly accepted, and it was determined he should mount 
guard that very night. His only stipulation was, that the 
enterprise should be kept secret from his mother ; for he knew 
the poor soul would not sleep a wink if she knew her son was 
waging war with the powers of darkness. 

When night came on he set out on this perilous expedition. 
The old black cook, his only friend in the household, had 
provided him with a little mess for supper, and a rashlight ; 
and she tied round his neck an amulet, given her by an African 



DoIpO ILIfjjliger, 



conjurer, as a charm against evil spirits. Dolph was escorted 
on his way by the doctor and Peter de Groodt, who had agreed 
to accompany him to the house, and see him safe lodged. The 
night was overcast, and it was very dark when they arrived at 
the grounds which surrounded the mansion. The sexton led 
the way with a lantern. As they walked along the avenue of 
acacias, the fitful light, catching from bush to bush, and tree to 
tree, often startled the doughty Peter, and made him fall back 
upon his followers ; and the doctor grappled still closer hold of 
Dolph's arm, observing that the ground was very slippery and 
uneven. At one time they were nearly put to total rout by a 
bat, which came flitting about the lantern ; and the notes of the 
insects from the trees, and the frogs from a neighboring pond, 
formed a most drowsy and doleful concert. 

The front door of the mansion opened with a grating sound, 
that made the doctor turn pale. They entered a tolerably 
large hall, such as is common in American country-houses, and 
which serves for a sitting-room in warm weather. From this 
they went up a wide staircase, that groaned and creaked as 
they trod, every step making its particular note, like the key of 
a harpsichord. This led to another hall on the second story, 
whence they entered the room where Dolph was to sleep. It 
was large, and scantily furnished ; the shutters were closed ; 
but as they were much broken, there was no want of a circula- 
tion of air. It appeared to have been that sacred chamber, 
known among Dutch housewives by the name of " the best bed- 
room ;" which is the best furnished room in the house, but in 
which scarce anybody is ever permitted to sleep. Its splendor, 
however, was all at an end. There were a few broken 
articles of furniture about the room, and in the centre stood a 
heavy deal -table and a large arm-chair, both of which had the 
look of being coeval with the mansion. '^I'he fireplace was 
wide, and had been faced with Dutch tiles, representing Scrip- 
ture stories ; but some of them had fallen out of their places, 
and lay shattered about the hearth. The sexton lit the rush- 
light ; and the doctor, looking fearfully about the room, was 



94 ® iSonfe of tf)e ?^utiann. 



just exhorting Dolph to be of good cheer, and to pluck up a 
stout heart, when a noise in the chimney, like voices and strug- 
gling, struck a sudden panic into the sexton. He took to his ' 
heels with the lantern ; the doctor followed hard after him ; the 
stairs groaned and creaked as they hurried down, increasing 
their agitation and speed by its noises. The front door slam- 
med after them ; and Dolph heard them scrabbling down the 
avenue, till the sound of their feet was lost in the distance. 
That he did not join in this precipitate retreat might have been 
owing to his possessing a little more courage than his com- 
panions, or perhaps that he had caught a glimpse of the cause 
of their dismay, in a nest of chimney swallows, that came 
tumbling down into the fireplace. 

Being now left to himsell", he secured the front door by a 
strong bolt and bar ; and having seen that the other entrances 
were fastened, returned* to his desolate chamber. Having 
made his supper from the basket which the good old cook had 
provided, he locked the chamber door, and retired to rest on a 
mattress in one corner. The night was calm and still ; and 
nothing broke Upon the profound quiet, but the lonely chirping 
of a cricket from the chimney of a distant chamber. The 
rushlight, which stood in the centre of the deal table, shed 
a feeble yellow ray, dimly illuminating the chamber, and 
making uncouth shapes and shadows on the walls, from the 
clothes which Dolph had thrown over a chair. 

With all his boldness of heart, there was something subduing 
in this desolate scene ; and he felt his spirits flag within him, 
as he lay on his hard bed and gazed about the room. He was 
turning over in his mind his idle habits, his doubtful prospects, 
and now and then heaving a heavy sigh, as he thought on his 
poor old mother ; for there is nothing like the silence and 
loneliness of night to bring dark shadows over the brightest 
mind. By-and-by he thought he heard a sound as of some one 
walking below stairs. He listened, and distinctly heard a step 
on the great staircase. It approached solemnly and slowly, 
tramp — tramp — tramp ! It was evidently the tread of some 



olp5 MeQii&tr. 95 



heavy personage ; and yet how could he have got into the 
house without making a noise ? He had examined all the 
fastenings, and was certain that every entrance was secure. 
Still the steps advanced, tramp — tramp — tramp ! It was 
evident that the person approaching could not be a robber, the 
step was too loud and deliberate ; a robber would either be 
stealthy or precipitate. And now the footsteps had ascended 
the staircase ; they were slowly advancing along the passage, 
resounding through the silent and empty apartments. The 
very cricket had ceased its melancholy note, and nothing in- 
terrupted their awful distinctness. The door, which had been 
locked on the inside, slowly sprang open, as if self-moved. 
The footsteps entered the room ; but no one was to be seen. 
They passed slowly and audibly across it, tramp — tramp — 
tramp ! but whatever made the sound was invisible. Dolph 
rubbed his eyes, and stared about him ; he could see to every 
part of the dimly-lighted chamber ; all was vacant ; yet still 
he heard those mysterious footsteps, solemnly walking about 
the chamber. They ceased, and all was dead silence. There 
was something more appalling in this invisible visitation, than 
there would have been in anything that addressed itself to the 
eyesight. It was awfully vague and indefinite. He felt his 
heart beat against his ribs ; a cold sweat broke out upon his 
forehead ; he lay for some time in a state of violent agitation ; 
nothing, however, occurred to increase his alarm. His light 
gradually burnt down into the socket, and he fell asleep. 
When he awoke it was broad daylight ; the sun was peering 
through the cracks of the window -shutters, and the birds were 
merrily singing about the house. The bright cheery day soon 
put to flight all the terrors of the preceding night. Dolph 
laughed, or rather tried to laugh, at all that had passed, and 
endeavored to persuade himself that it was a mere freak of the 
imagination, conjured up by the stories he had heard ; but he 
was a little puzzled to find the door of his room locked on the 
inside, notwithstanding that he had positively seen it swing 
open as the footsteps had entered. He returned to town in a 



96 S Book of t^f f^utjson. 



etate of considerable perplexity ; but he determined to say 
nothing on the subject, until his doubts were either confirmed 
or removed by another night's watching. His silence was a 
grievous disappointment to the gossips who had gathered at the 
doctor's mansion. They had prepared their minds to hear 
direful tales, and were almost in a rage at being assured he had 
nothing to relate. 

The next night, then, Dolph repeated his vigil. He now 
entered the house with some trepidation. He was particular 
in examining the fastenings of all the doors, and securing them 
well. He locked the door of his chamber, and placed a chair 
against it ; then having dispatched his supper, he threw him- 
self on his mattress and endeavored to sleep. It was all in 
vain ; a thousand crowding fancies kept him waking. The time 
slowly dragged on, as if minutes were spinning themselves out 
into hours. As the night advanced, he grew more and more 
nervous ; and he almost started from his couch when he heard 
the mysterious footstep again on the staircase. Up it came, as 
before, solemnly and slowly, tramp — tramp — tramp ! It ap- 
proached along the passage ; the door again swung open, as if 
there had been neither lock nor impediment, and a strange 
looking figure stalked into the room. It was an elderly man, 
large and robust, clothed in the old Flemish fashion. He 
had on a kind of short cloak, with a garment under it, belted 
round the waist ; tnink hose, with great bunches or bows at 
the knees ; and a pair of russet boots, very large at top, and 
standing widely from his legs. His hat was broad and slouched, 
with a feather trailing over one side. His iron-grey hair hung 
in thick masses on his neck ; and he had a short grizzled 
beard. He walked slowly round the room, as if examining 
that all was safe ; then, hanging his hat on a peg beside the 
door, he sat down in the elbow-chair, and, leaning his elbow 
on the table, fixed his eyes on Dolph with an unmoving and 
deadened stare. 

Dolph was not naturally a coward ; but he had been 
brought up in an implicit belief in ghosts and goblins. A 



©olpf) ?3eal(ger. 97 



thousand stories came swarming to his mind that he had 
heard about this building ; and as he looked at this strange 
personage, with his uncouth garb, his pale visage, his grizzly 
beard, and his fixed, staring, fish-like eye, his teeth began to 
chatter, his hair to rise on his head, and a cold sweat to break 
out all over his body. How long he remained in this situation 
he could not tell, for he was like one fascinated. He could 
not take his gaze off" from the spectre ; but lay staring at him, 
with his whole intellect absorbed in the contemplation. The 
old man remained seated behind the table, without stirring, or 
turning an eye, always keeping a dead, steady glare upon 
Dolph. At length the household cock, from a neighboring 
farm, clapped his wings, and gave a loud cheerful crow that 
rang over the fields. At the sound the old man slowly rose, 
and took down his hat from the peg ; the door opened, and 
closed after him ; he was heard to go slowly down the stair- 
case, tramp — tramp — tramp ! — and when he had got to the 
bottom, all was again silent. Dolph lay and listened earnestly ; 
counted every footfall ; listened, and listened, if the steps 
should return, until, exhausted by watching- and agitation, he 
fell into a troubled sleep. 

Daylight again brought fresh courage and assurance. He 
would fain have considered all that had passed as a mere 
dream ; yet there stood the chair in which the unknown had 
seated himself ; there was the table on which he had leaned ; 
there was the peg on which he had hung his hat ; and there 
was the door, locked precisely as he himself had locked it, 
with the chair placed against it. He hastened down stairs, and 
examined the doors and windows ; all were exactly in the 
same state in which he had left them, and there was no appa- 
rent way by which any being could have entered and left the 
house, without leaving some trace behind. " Pooh I" said 
Dolph to himself, " it was all a dream :" — but it would not 
do ; the more he endeavored to shake the scene off from his 
mind, the more it haunted him. 

Though he persisted in a strict silence as to all that he had 
5 



gg 9 JBooft of tlje ?^uli2on. 

seen or heard, yet his looks betrayed the uncomfortable night 
that he had passed. It was evident that there was something 
wonderful hidden under this mysterious reserve. The doctor 
took him into the study, locked the door, and sought io have 
a full and confidential communication ; but he could get no- 
thing out of him. Fran Ilsy took him aside into the pantry, but 
to as little purpose ; and Peter de Groodt held him by the but- 
ton for a full hour, in the church-yard, the very place to get at 
the bottom of a ghost story, but came ofT not a whit wiser 
than the rest. It is always the case, however, that one truth 
concealed makes a dozen current lies. It- is lilie a guinea 
locked up in a bank, that has a dozen paper representatives. 
Before the day was over, the neighborhood was full of reports. 
Some said that Dolph Heyliger watched in the haunted house, 
with pistols loaded with silver bullets ; others, that he had a 
long talk with a spectre without a head ; others that Doctor 
Knipperhausen and the sexton had been hunted down the 
Bowery lane, and quite into town by a legion of the ghosts of 
their customers. Some shook their heads, and thought it a 
shame the doctor should put Dolph to pass the night alone in 
that dismal house, where he might be spirited away, no one 
knew whither, while others observed, with a shrug, that if the 
devil did carry off the youngster, it would be but taking his own. 
These rumors at length reached the ears of the good Dame 
Heyliger, and, as may be supposed, threw her into a terrible 
alarm. For her son to have opposed himself to danger from 
living foes, would have been nothing so dreadful in her eyes, a3 
to dare alone the terrors of the haunted house. She hastened 
to the doctor's, and passed a great part of the day in attempt- 
ing to dissuade Dolph from repeating his vigil ; she told him 
a score of tales, which her gossiping friends had just related to 
her, of persons who had been carried off, when watching alone 
in old ruinous houses. It was all to no effect. Dolph's pride, as 
well as curiosity, was piqued. He endeavored to calm the ap- 
prehensions of his mother, and to assure her that there was no 
truth in all the rumors she had heard : she looked at hira 



©olpf) ?^«aUBcr. 99 



dubiously, and shook her head ; but finding his determination 
was not to be shaken, she brought him a little thick Dutch 
Bible, with brass clasps, to take with him as a sword where- 
with to fight the powers of darkness ; and, lest that might not 
be sufficient, the housekeeper gave him the Heidelberg catechism 
by way of dagger. 

The next night, therefore, Dolph took up his quarters for the 
third time in the old mansion. Whether dream or not, the 
same thing was repeated. Towards midnight, when every- 
thing was still, the same sound echoed through the empty 
halls — tramp — tramp — tramp ! The stairs were again ascended 
— the door again swung open — the old man entered, walked 
round the room, hung up his hat, and seated himself by the 
table. The same lear and trembling came over poor Dolph, 
though not in so violent a degree. He lay in the same way, 
motionless and fascmated, staring at the figure, which regarded 
him as before, with a dead, fixed, chilling gaze. In this way 
they remained for a long time, till, by degrees, Dolph's courage 
began gradually to revive. Whether alive or dead, this being 
had certainly some object in his visitation, and he recollected 
to have heard it said, spirits have no power to speak until 
spoken to. Summoning up resolution, therefore, and makmg 
two or three attempts, before he could get his parched tongue 
in motion, he addressed the unknown in the most solemn form 
of adjuration, and demanded to know what was the motive of 
liis visit. 

No sooner had he finished, than the old man rose, took 
down his hat, the door opened, and he went out, looking back 
upon Dolph just as he crossed the threshold, as if expecting 
him to follow. The youngster did not hesitate an instant. 
He took the candle in his hand, and the Bible under his arm, 
and obeyed the tacit invitation. The candle emitted a feeble, 
uncertain ray, but still he could see the figure before him, 
slowly descend the stairs. He followed, trembling. When it 
had reached the bottom of the stairs, it turned through the 
hall towards the back door of the mansion. Dolph held the 



100 ^ 33ooR of tfjf ?l1utiSDn. 



light over the balustrades, but, in his eagerness to catch a sight 
of the unknown, he flared his feeble taper so suddenly, that it 
went out. Still there was sufficient light from the pale moon- 
beams, that fell through a narrow window, to give him an in- 
distinct view of the figure, near the door. He followed, there- 
fore, down stairs, and turned towards the place ; bnt when he 
arrived there, the unknown had disappeared. The door re- 
mained fast barred and bolted ; there was no other mode of 
exit, yet the being, whatever he might be, was gone. He un- 
fastened the door, and looked out into the fields. It was a 
hazy, moonlight night, so that the eye could distinguish objects 
at some distance. He thought he saw the unknown in a foot- 
path which led from the door. He was not mistaken ; but 
how had he got out of the house ? He did not pause to think, 
but followed on. The old man proceeded at a measured pace, 
without looking about him, his footsteps sounding on the hard 
ground. He passed through the orchard of apple-trees, always 
keeping the footpath. It led to a well, situated in a little hol- 
low, which had supplied the farm with water. Just at this well 
Dolph lost sight of him. He rubbed his eyes and looked 
again, but nothing was to be seen of the unknown. He 
reached the well, but nobody was there. All the surrounding 
ground was open and clear ; there was no bush or hiding- 
place. He looked down the well, and saw, at a great depth, 
the reflection of the sky in the still water. After remaining 
here for some time, without seeing or hearing anything more 
of his mysterious conductor, he returned to the house, full of 
awe and wonder. He bolted the door, groped his way back to 
bed, and it was long before he could compose himself to 
sleep. 

His dreams were strange and troubled. He thought he was 
following the old man along the side of a great river, until 
they came to a vessel on the point of sailing, and that his con- 
ductor led him on board and vanished. He remembered the 
commander of the vessel, a short swarthy man, with crisped 
black hair, blind of one eye, and lame of one leg ; but the 



olpfi mtnliQtx, 101 



rest of his dream was very confused. Sometimes he was 
sailing, sometimes on shore ; now amidst storms and tempests, 
and now wandering qnietly in unknown streets. The figure 
of the old man was strangely mingled up with the incidents of 
the dream ; and the whole distinctly wound up by his finding 
himself on board of the vessel again, returning home, with a 
great bag of money. 

When he awoke, the grey, cool light of dawn was streaking 
the horizon, and the cocks passing the reveille from farm to 
farm, throughout the country. He rose more harassed and 
perplexed than ever. He was singularly confounded by all 
that he had seen and dreamt, and began to doubt whether his 
mind was not affected, and whether all that was passing in his 
thoughts might not be mere feverish fantasy. In his present 
state of mind, he did not feel disposed to return immediately to 
the doctor's, and undergo the cross-questioning of the house- 
hold. He made a scanty breakfast, therefore, on the remains 
of the last night's provisions, and then wandered out into the 
fields to meditate on all that had befallen him. Lost in 
thought, he rambled about, gradually approaching the town, 
until the morning was far advanced, when he was roused by a 
hurry and buttle around him. He found himself near the 
water's edge, in a throng of people, hurrying to a pier, where 
was a vessel ready to make sail. He was unconsciously car- 
ried along by the impulse of the crowd, and found that it was 
a sloop, on the point of sailing up the Hudson to Albany. 
There was much leave-taking and kissing of old women and 
children, and great activity in carrying on board baskets of bread 
and cakes, and provisions of all kinds, notwithstanding the 
mighty joints of meat that dangled over the stern ; for a 
voyage to Albany was an expedition of great moment in those 
days. The commander of the sloop was hurrying about, and 
giving a world of orders, which were not very strictly attended 
to, one man being busy in lighting his pipe, and another in 
sharpening his snicker-snee. 

The appearance of the commander suddenly caught Dolph'a 



102 S 33oofe of tf)e f^utJBon. 



attention. He was short and swarthy, with crisped black 
hair ; blind of one eye and lame of one leg — the very com- 
mander that he had seen in his dream ! Surprised and aroused, 
he considered the scene more attentively, and recalled still 
further traces of his dream: the appearance of the vessel, of the 
river, and of a variety of other objects, accorded with the im- 
perfect images vaguely rising to recollection. 

As he stood musing on these circumstances, the captain 
suddenly called out to him in Dutch, " Step on board, young 
man, or you'll be left behind !" He was startled by the sum- 
mons ; he saw that the sloop was cast loose, and was actually 
moving from the pier ; it seemed as if he was actuated by some 
irresistible impulse ; he sprang upon the deck, and the next 
moment the sloop was hurried off by the wind and tide. 
Dolph's thoughts and feelings were all in tumult and confusion. 
He had been strongly worked upon by the events which had 
recently befallen him, and could not but think there was some 
connexion between his present situation and his last night's 
dream. He felt as if under supernatural influence ; and tried to 
assure himself with an old and favorite maxim of his, that 
" one way or the other, all would turn out for the best." For 
a moment, the indignation of the doctor at his departure, with- 
out leave, passed across his mind, but that was matter of little 
moment ; then he thought of the distress of his mother at his 
strange disappearance, and the idea gave him a sudden pang ; 
he would have entreated to be put on shore ; but he knew 
with such wind and tide the entreaty would have been in vain. 
Then the inspiring love of novelty and adventure came rushing 
in full tide through his bosom ; he felt himself launched 
strangely and suddenly on the world, and under full way to ex- 
plore the regions of wonder that lay up this mighty river, and 
beyond those blue mountains which had bounded his horizon 
since childhood. While he was lost in this whirl of thought, 
the sails strained to the breeze ; the shores seemed to hurry 
away behind him ; and, before he perfectly recovered his self- 
possession, the sloop was ploughing her way past Spiking-devil 



©olpi^ l&caltgfr. 103 



and Yonkerg, and the tallest chimney of the Manhattoes had 
faded from his sight. 

I have said that a voyage up the Hudson in those days w^as 
an undertaking of some moment ; indeed, it was as much 
thought of as a voyage to Europe is at present. The sloops 
were often many days on the way ; the cautious navigators 
taking in sail when it blew fresh, and coming to anchor at 
night ; and stopping to send the boat ashore for milk for tea ; 
without which it was impossible for the worthy old lady pas- 
sengers to subsist. And there were the much-talked-of perils 
of the Tappaan Zee, and the highlands. In short, a prudent 
Dutch burgher would talk of such a voyage for months, and 
even years, beforehand ; and never undertook it without putting 
his affairs in order, making his will, and having prayers said for 
him in the Low Dutch Churches. 

In the coui'se of such a voyage, therefore, Dolph was 
satisfied he would have time enough to reflect, and to make up 
his mind as to what he should do when he arrived at Albany. 
The captain, with his blind eye and lame leg, would, it is true, 
bring his strange dream to mind, and perplex him sadly for a 
few moments ; but of late his life had been made up so much 
of dreams and realities, his nights and days had been so jumbled 
together, that he seemed to be moving continually in a delu- 
sion. There is always, however, a kind of vagabond consola- 
tion in a man's having nothing in this world to lose ; with this 
Dolph comforted his heart, and determined to make the most 
of the present enjoyment. 

In the second day of the voyage they came to the highlands. 
It was the latter part of a calm, sultry day, that they floated 
gently with the tide between these stern mountains. There 
was that perfect quiet which prevails over nature in the languor 
of summer heat ; the turning of a plank, or the accidental 
falling of an oar on deck, was echoed from the mountain side, 
and reverberated along the shores ; and if by chance the captain 
gave a shout of command, there were airy tongues which 
mocked it from every cliff. 



104 ^ J3ooft of t^e ^ulison. 



Dolph gazed about him in mute delight and wonder at these 
scenes of nature's magnificence. To the left the Dunderberg 
reared its woody precipices, height over height, forest over 
forest, away into the deep summer sky. To the right strutted 
forth the bold promontory of Anthony's Nose, with a solitary 
eagle wheeling about it ; while beyond, mountain succeeded to 
movmtain, until they seemed to lock their arms together, and 
confine this mighty river in their embraces. There was a feel- 
ing of quiet luxury in gazing at the broad, green bosoms here 
and there scooped out among the precipices ; or at woodlands 
high in air, nodding over the edge of some beetling bluff, and 
their foliage all transparent in the yellow sunshine. 

In the midst of his admiration, Dolph remarked a pile of 
bright, snowy clouds peering above the western heights. It 
was succeeded by another, and another, each seemingly push- 
ing onwards its predecessor, and towering, with dazzling bril- 
liancy, in the deep blue atmosphere : and now muttering peals 
of thunder were faintly heard rolling behind the mountains. 
The river, hitherto still and glassy, reflecting pictures of the 
sky and land, now showing a dark ripple at a distance, as the 
breeze came creeping up it. The fish-hawks wheeled and 
screamed, and sought their nests on the high dry trees ; the 
crows flew clamorously to the crevices of the rocks, and all 
nature seemed conscious of the approaching thunder-gust. 

The clouds now rolled in volumes over the mountain-tops ; 
their summits still bright and snowy, but the lower parts of an 
inky blackness. The rain began to patter down in broad and 
scattered drops ; the wind freshened, and curled up the waves ; 
at length it seemed as if the bellying clouds were torn open by 
the mountain-tops, and complete torrents of rain came rattling 
down. The lightning leaped from cloud to cloud, and stream- 
ed quivering against the rocks, splitting and rending the 
stoutest forest-trees. The thunder burst in tremendous explo- 
sions ; the peals were echoed from mountain to mountain ; 
they crashed upon Dunderberg, and rolled up the long defile 



Bolpf) ?,Ualiser. 105 



of the highlands, each headland making a new echo, until old 
Bull Hill seemed to bellow back the storm. 

For a time the scudding rack and mist, and the sheeted rain 
almost hid the landscape from the sight. There was a fear- 
ful gloom, illuminated still mure fearfully by the streams of 
lightning which glittered among the rain-drops. Never had 
Dolph beheld such an absolute warring of the elements ; it 
seemed as if the storm was tearing and rending its way through 
this mountain defile, and had brought all the artillery of heaven 
into action. 

The vessel was hurried on by the increasing wind, until she 
came to where the river makes a sudden bend^ the only one in 
the whole course of its majestic career.* Just as they turned 
the point, a violent flaw of wind came sweeping down a moun- 
tain gully, bending the forest before it, and, in a moment, lash- 
ing up the river into white froth and foam. The captain saw 
the danger, and cried out to lower the sail. Before the order 
could be obeyed, the flaw struck the sloop, and threw her on 
her beam-ends. Everything now was fright and confusion ; the 
flapping of the sails, the whistling and rushing of the wind, 
the bawling of the captain and crew, the shrieking of the pas- 
sengers, all mingled with the rolling and bellowing of the 
thunder. In the mid.st of the uproar the sloop righted ; at the 
same time the mainsail shifted, the boom came sweeping the 
quarter-deck, and Dolph, who was gazing unguardedly at the 
clouds, found himself, in a moment, floundering in the river. 

For once in his life one of his idle accomplishments was of 
use to him. The many truant hours he had devoted to sport- 
ing in the Hudson had made him an expert swimmer ; yet with 
all his strength and skill, he found great difficulty in reaching 
the shore. His disappearance from the deck had not been 
noticed by the crew, who were all occupied by their own dan- 
ger. The sloop was driven along with inconceivable rapidity. 

* This must have been the bend at West Point. 
5* 



X06 ^ JBoofe of t^e ^ubaon. 



She had hard work to weather a long promontory on the 
eastern shore, round which the river turned, and which com- 
pletely shut her from Dolph's view. 

It was on a point of the western shore that he landed, and, 
scrambling up the rocks, threw himself, faint and exhausted, at 
the foot of a tree. By degrees the thunder-gust passed over. 
The clouds rolled away to the east, where they lay piled in 
feathery masses, tinted with the last rosy rays of the sun. The 
distant play of the lightning might be seen about the dark 
bases, and now and then might be heard the faint muttering of 
the thunder. Dolph rose, and sought about to see if any path 
led from the shore, but all was savage and trackless. The 
rocks were piled upon each other ; great trunks of trees lay 
shattered about, as they had been blown down by the strong 
winds which draw through these mountains, or had fallen 
through age. The rocks, too, were overhung with wild vines 
and briers, which completely matted themselves together, and 
opposed a barrier to all ingress ; every movement that he made 
shook down a shower from the dripping foliage. He attempt- 
ed to scale one of these almost perpendicular heights ; but, 
though strong and agile, he found it an Herculean undertaking. 
Often he was supported merely by crumbling projections of the 
rock, and sometimes he clung to roots and branches of trees, 
and hung almost suspended in the air. The wood-pigeon 
came cleaving his whistling flight by him, and the eagle 
screamed from the brow of the impending cliff. As he was 
thus clambering, ho was on the point of seizing hold of a shrub 
to aid his ascent, when something rustled among the leaves, 
and he saw a snake quivering along like lightning, almost from 
under his hand. It coiled itself up immediately, in an attitude 
of defiance, with flattened head, distended jaws, and quickly 
vibrating tongue, that played like a little flame about its 
mouth. Dolph's heart turned faint within him, and he had 
well nigh let go his hold, and tumbled down the precipice. 
The serpent stood on the defensive but for an instant ; and, 
finding there was no attack, glided away into a cleft of the 



©olpl) ?^t2ligEr. 107 



rock. Dolph's eye followed it with fearful intensity, and saw 
a nest of adders, knotted, and writhing, and hissing in the 
chasm. He hastened with all speed from so frightful a neigh- 
borhood. His imagination, full of this new horror, saw an 
adder in every curling vine, and heard the tail of a rattlesnake in 
every dry leaf that rustled. 

At length he succeeded in scrambling to the summit of a 
precipice, but it was covered by a dense forest. Wherever he 
could gain a look out between the trees, he beheld heights and 
cliffs, one rising beyond another, until huge mountains overtop- 
ped the whole. There were no signs of cultivation ; no smoke 
curling among the trees, to indicate a human residence. 
Everything was wild and solitary. As he was standing on 
the edge of a precipice overlooking a deep ravine fringed with 
trees, his feet detached a great fragment of rock ; it fell, crash- 
ing its way through the tree tops, down into the chasm. A 
loud whoop, or rather yell, issued from the bottom of the glen ; 
the moment after there was the report of a gun ; and a ball 
came whistling over his head, cutting the twigs and leaves, and 
burying itself deep in the bark of a chestnut tree. 

Dolph did not wait for a second shot, but made a precipitate 
retreat, fearing every moment to hear the enemy in pursuit. 
He succeeded, however, in returning unmolested to the shore, 
and determined to penetrate no further into a country so beset 
with savage perils. 

He sat himself down, dripping, disconsolately, on a wet 
Ktone. What was to be done 1 Where was he to shelter him- 
self ] The hour of repose was approaching ; the birds were 
seeking their nests, the bat began to flit about in the twilight, 
and the night-hawk, soaring high in the heaven, seemed to be 
callling out the stars. Night gradually closed in, and wrap- 
ped everything in gloom ; and though it was the latter part of 
summer, the breeze stealing along tiie river, and among these 
dripping forests, was chilly and penetrating, especially to a half- 
drowned man. 

As he sat drooping and despondent in this comfortless con- 



108 a aaoolt of tl)e f^ttliison. 



dition, he perceived a light gleaming through the trees near the 
shore, where the winding of the river made a deep bay. It 
cheered him with the hope of a human habitation, where he 
might get something to appease the clamorous cravings of his 
stomach, and what was equally necessary in his shipwrecked 
condition, a comfortable shelter for the night. With extreme 
difficulty he made his way towards the light, along ledges of 
rocks, down which he was in danger of sliding into the river, 
and over great trunks of fallen trees, some of which had been 
blown down in the late storm, and lay so thickly together, that 
he had to struggle through their branches. At length he 
came to the brow of a rock overhanging a small dell, whence 
the light proceeded. It was from a fire at the foot of a great 
tree in the midst of a grassy interval or plat among the rocks. 
The fire cast up a red glare among the grey crags and im- 
pending trees ; leaving chasms of deep gloom, that resembled 
entrances to caverns. A small brook rippled close by, be- 
trayed by the quivering reflection of the flame. There were 
two figures moving about the fire, and others squatted before 
it. As they were between him and the light, they were in 
complete shadow, but one of them happening to move round 
to the opposite side, Dolph was startled at perceiving, by the 
glare falling on painted features, and glittering on silver orna- 
ments, that he was an Indian. He now looked more narrow- 
ly, and saw guns leaning against a tree, and a dead body lying 
on the ground. Here was the very foe that had fired at him 
from the glen. He endeavored to retreat quietly, not caring to 
intrust himself to these half-human beings, in so savage and 
lonely a place. It was too late ; the Indian, with that eagle 
quickness of eye so remarkable in his race, perceived some- 
thing stirring among the bushes on the rock ; he seized one of 
the guns that leaned against the tree ; one moment more, and 
Dolph might have had his passion for adventure cured by a 
bullet. He hallooed loudly, with the Indian salutation of 
friendship ; the whole party sprang upon their feet ; the salu- 



©olpt ?^caltgcr. 109 



tation was returned, and the straggler was invited to join them 
at the fire. 

On approaching, he found, to his consolation, the party was 
composed of white men, as well as Indians. One, evidently 
the principal personage, or commander, was seated on a trunk 
of a tree before the fire. He was a large stout man, somewhat 
advanced in life, but hale and hearty. His face was bronzed 
almost to the color of an Indian's ; he had strong but rather 
jovial features, an aquiline nose, and a mouth shaped like a 
mastiff's. His face was half thrown in shade by a broad hat, 
with a buck's tail in it. His grey hair hung short in his neck. 
He wore a hunting-frock, with Indian leggins and moccasins, 
and a tomahawk in the broad wampum-belt round his waist. 
As Dolph caught a distinct view of his person and features, 
something reminded him of the old man of the haunted house. 
The man before him, however, was different in dress and age ; 
he was more cheery too in aspect, and it was hard to define 
where the vague resemblance lay ; but a resemblance there 
certainly was. Dolph felt some degree of awe in approaching 
him ; but was assured by a frank, hearty welcome. He was 
still further encouraged, by perceiving that the dead body, 
which had caused him some alarm, was that of a deer ; and 
his satisfaction was complete in discerning, by savory steams 
from a kettle, suspended by a hooked stick over the fire, that 
there was a part cooking for the evening's repast. 

He had, in fact, fallen in with a rambling hunting party ; 
such as often took place in those days among the settlers along 
the river. The hunter is always hospitable ; and nothing 
makes men more social and unceremonious than meeting in 
the wilderness. The commander of the party poured out a 
dram of cheering liquor, which he gave him with a merry leer, 
to warm his heart ; and ordered one of his followers to fetch 
some garments from a pinnace, moored in a cove close by, 
while those in which our hero was dripping might be dried 
before the fire. 



110 ^ lUooft of tf)£ ?^ulraon. 



Dolph found, as he had suspected, that the shot from the 
glen, which had come so near giving him his quietus when on 
tlie precipice, was from the party before him. He had nearly 
crushed one of" them by the fragments of rock which he had 
detached ; and the jovial old hunter, in the broad hat and 
buck-tail, had fired at the place where he saw the bushes 
move, supposing it to be some wild animal. He laughed 
heartily at the blunder ; it being what is considered an exceed- 
ing good joke among hunters ; " but faith, my lad," said he, 
" if I had but caught a glimpse of you to take sight at, you 
would have followed the rock. Antony Vander Heyden is 
seldom known to miss his aim." These last words were at 
once a clue to Dolph's curiosity ; and a few questions let him 
completely into the character of the man before him, and of his 
band of woodland rangers. The commander in the broad hat 
and hunting-frock was no less a personage than the Heer 
Antony Vander Heyden, of Albany, of whom Dolph had many 
a time heard. He was, in fact, the hero of many a story ; his 
singular humors and whimsical habits being matters of wonder 
to his quiet Dutch neighbors. As he was a man of property, 
having had- a father before him, from whom he inherited large 
tracts of wild land, and whole barrels full of wampum, he 
could indulge his humors without control. Instead of staying 
quietly at home, eating and drinking at regular meal times, 
amusing himself by smoking his pipe on the bench before the 
door, and then turning into a comfortable bed at night, he 
delighted in all kinds of rough, wild expeditions. Never so 
happy as when on a hunting party in the wilderness, sleeping 
under trees or bark sheds, or cmising down the river, or on 
some woodland lake, fishing and fowling, and living the Lord 
knows how. 

He was a great friend to Indians, and to an Indian mode of 
life ; which he considered tnae natural liberty and manly 
enjoyment. When at home he had always several Indian 
hangers-on, who loitered about his house, sleeping like hounds 
in the sunshine ; or preparing hunting and fishing-tackle for 



©olpf) ?3EBliger. HI 



some new expedition ; or shooting at marks with bows and 
arrows. 

Over these vagrant beings Heer Antony had as perfect 
command as a huntsman over his pack ; though they were 
great nuisances to the regular people of his neighborhood. As 
he was a rich man, no one ventured to thwart his humors ; 
indeed, his hearty, joyous manner made him universally 
popular. He would troll a Dutch song as he tramped along 
the street; hail every one a mile off, and when he entered a 
house, would slap the good man familiarly on the back, shake 
him by the hand till he roared, and kiss his wife and daughter 
before his face — in short, there was no pride nor ill humor 
about Heer Antony. 

Besides his Indian hangers-on, he had three or four humble 
friends among the white men, who looked up to him as a 
patron, and had the nin of his kitchen, and the favor of being 
taken with him occasionally on his expeditions. With a 
medley of such retainers he was at present on a ciTiise along 
the shores of the Hudson, in a pinnace kejpt for his own re- 
creation. There were two white men with him, dressed partly 
in the Indian style, with moccasins and hunting-shirts ; the 
rest of his crew consisted of four favorite Indians. They had 
been prowling about the river, without any definite object, 
until they found themselves in the Highlands ; where they had 
passed two or three days, hunting the deer which still lingered 
among these mountains. 

"It is lucky for you, young man," said Antony Vander 
Heyden, " that you happened to be knocked overboard to-day ; 
as to-morrow morning we start early on our return home- 
wards ; and you might then have looked in vain for a meal 
among the mountains — but come, lads, stir about ! stir about ! 
Let's see what prog we have for supper ; the kettle has boiled 
long enough ; my stomach cries cupboard ; and I'll warrant 
our guest is in no mood to dally with his trencher." 

There was a bustle now in the little encampment ; one took 
off the kettle and turned a part of the contents into a fiuge 



112 ® JiJooft of tfje l^ulison, 



wooden bowl. Another prepared a flat rock for a table; 
while a third brought various utensils from the pinnace ; Heer 
Antony himself brought a flask or two of precious liquor from 
his own private locker ; knowing his boon companions too 
well to trust any of them with the key. 

A nide but hearty repast was soon spread ; consisting of 
venison smoking from the kettle, with cold bacon, boiled 
Indian corn, and mighty loaves of good brown household 
bread. Never had Dolph made a more delicious repast ; and 
when he had washed it down with two or three draughts from 
the Heer Antony's flask, and felt the jolly liquor sending its 
warmth through his veins, and glowing round his very heart, 
he would not have changed his situation, no, not with the 
governor of the province. 

The Heer Antony, too, grew chirping and joyous ; told half 
a dozen fat stories, at which his white followers laughed 
immoderately, though the Indians, as usual, maintained an 
invincible gravity. 

" This is your tijae life, my boy !" said he, slapping Dolph on 
the shoulder ;■ " a man is never a man till he can defy wind and 
weather, range woods and wilds, sleep under a tree, and live 
on bass-wood leaves !" 

And then would he sing a stave or two of a Dutch drinking 
song, swaying a short squab Dutch bottle in his hand, while his 
myrmidons would join in the chorus, until the woods echoed 
again ; — as the good old song has it, 

" They all with a shout made the elements ring, 
So soon as the office was o'er ; 
To feasting they went, with true merriment, 
And tippled strong liquor galore." 

In the midst of his joviality, however, Heer Antony did not 
lose sight of discretion. Though he pushed the bottle without 
reserve to Dolph, he always took care to help his followers 
himself, knowing the beings he had to deal with ; and was 
particular in granting but a moderate allowance to the Indians. 



Dolpft lUeal'Ser. 113 



The repast being ended, the Indians having drunk their liquor and 
smoked their pipes, now wrapped themselves in their blankets, 
stretched themselves on the ground, with their feet to the lire, 
and soon fell asleep, like so many tired hounds. The rest of 
the party remained chattering before the fire, which the gloom 
of the forest, and the dampness of the air from the late storm, 
rendered extremely grateful and comforting. The conversation 
gradually moderated from the hilarity of supper-time, and 
tm-ned upon hunting adventures, and exploits and perils in the 
wilderness ; many of which were so strange and improbable, 
that I will not venture to repeat them, lest the veracity of 
Antony Vander Heyden and his comrades should be brought 
into question. There were many legendary tales told, also, 
about the river, and the settlements on its borders ; in which 
valuable kind of lore the Heer Antony seemed deeply versed. 
As the sturdy bush-beater sat in a twisted root of a tree, that 
served him for an arm-chair, dealing forth these wild stories, 
with the fire gleaming on his strongly-marked visage, Dolph 
was again repeatedly perplexed by something that reminded him 
of the phantom of the haunted house ; some vague resemblance 
not to be fixed upon any precise feature or lineament, but 
pervading the general air of his countenance and figure. 

The circumstance of Dolph's falling overboard led to the 
relation of divers disasters and singular mishaps that had 
befallen voyagers on this great river, particularly in the earlier 
periods of colonial history ; most of which the Heer deliberately 
attributed to supernatural causes. Dolph stared at this sugges- 
tion ; but the old gentleman assured him it was very currently 
believed by the settlers along the river, that these highlands 
were under the dominion of supernatural and mischievous 
beings, which seemed to have taken some pique against the 
Dutch colonists in the early time of the settlement. In conse- 
quence of this, they have ever taken particular delight in 
venting their spleen, and indulging their humors, upon the 
Dutch skippers ; bothering them with flaws, head-winds, 
counter-currents, and all kinds of impediments ; insomuch, that 



114 ^ i3ook of ti^e ^MuUaon- 



a Dutch navigator was always obliged to be exceedingly wary 
and deliberate in his proceedings ; to come to anchor at dusk ; 
to drop his peak, or take in sail, whenever he saw a swag- 
bellied cloud rolling over the mountains ; m short, to take so 
many precautions, that he was often apt to be an incredible 
time in toiling up the river. ' 

Some, he said, believed these mischievous powers of the air 
to be evil spirits conjured up by the Indian wizards, in the early 
times of the province, to revenge themselves on the strangers 
who had dispossessed them of their country. They even 
attributed to their incantations the misadventure which befell 
the renowned Hendrick Hudson, when he sailed so gallantly 
up this river in quest of a northwest passage, and, as he 
thought, ran his ship aground ; which they affirm was nothing 
more nor less than a spell of these same wizards, to prevent his 
getting to China in this direction. 

The greater part, however, Heer Antony observed, accounted 
for all the extraordinary circumstances attending this river, and 
the perplexities of the skippers who navigated it, by the old 
legend of the Storm-ship which haunted Point-no-point. On 
finding Dolph to be utterly ignorant of this tradition, the Heer 
stared at him for a moment with surprise, and wondered where 
he had passed his life, to be uninformed on so important a point 
of history. To pass away the remainder of the evening, there- 
fore, he undertook the tale, as far as his memory would serve, 
in the very words in which it had been written out by Mynheer 
Selyne, an early poet of the New Nederlandts. Giving, then, 
a stir to the fire, that sent up its sparks among the trees lilte a 
little volcano, he adjusted himself comfortably in his root of a 
tree ; and throwing back his head, and closing his eyes for a 
few moments, to summon up his recollection, he related the 
following legend. 



tHift ^torms^^ip. 115 



THE STORM-SHIP. 



In the golden age of the province of the New Netherlands, 
when under the sway of Wouter Van Twiller, otherwise called 
the Doubter, the people of the Manhattoes were alanncd one 
sultry afternoon, just about the time of the summer solstice, by 
a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning. The rain fell 
in such torrents as absolutely to spatter up and smoke along 
the ground. It seemed as if the thunder rattled and rolled 
over the very roofs of the houses ; the lightning was seen to 
play about the church of St. Nicholas, and to strive three 
times, in vain, to strike its weathercock. Garret Van Home's 
new chimney was split almost frpm top to bottom ; and 
Doffue Mildeberger was struck speechless from his bald-faced 
mare, just as he was riding into town. In a word, it was one 
of those unparalleled storms which only happen once within 
the memory of that venerable personage, known in all towns 
by the appellation of " the oldest inhabitant." 

Great was the terror of the good old women of the Man- 
hattoes. They gathered their children together, and took 
refuge in the cellars, after having hung a shoe on the iron 
point of every bed-post, lest it should attract the lightning. 
At length the storm abated ; the thunder sank into a growl ; 
and the setting sun, breaking from under the fringed borders of 
the clouds, made the broad bosom of the bay to gleam like a 
vsea of molten gold. 

The word was given from the fort that a ship was standing 
up the bay. It passed from mouth to mouth, and street to 
street, and soon put the little capital in a bustle. The arrival 
of a ship, in those early times of the settlement, was an event 
of vast importance to the inhabitants. It brought them news 
from the old world, from the land of their birth, from which 
they were so completely severed : to the yearly ship, too, they 



[16 ^33ooftoftI;t?^ulj3on. 



looked for their supply of luxuries, of finery, of comforts, and 
almost of necessaries. The good vrouw could not have her 
new cap nor new gown until the arrival of the ship ; the artist 
waited for it for his tools, the burgomaster for his pipe and his 
supply of Hollands, the schoolboy for his top and marbles, and 
the lordly landholder for the bricks with which he was to 
build his new mansion. Thus every one, rich and poor, great 
and small, looked out for the arrival of the ship. It was the 
great yearly event of the town of New Amsterdam ; and from 
one end of the year to the other, the ship — the ship — the ship 
— was the continual topic of conversation. 

The news from the fort, therefore, brought all the populace 
down to the battery, to behold the wished-for sight. It was 
not exactly the time when she had been expected to arrive, 
and the circumstance was a matter of some speculation. 
Many were the groups collected about the battery. Here and 
there might be seen a burgomaster, of slow and pompous 
gravity, giving his opinion with great confidence to a crowd of 
old women and idle boys. At another place was a knot of 
old weather-beaten fellows who had been seamen or fishermen 
in their times, and were great authorities on such occasions ; 
these gave different opinions, and caused great disputes among 
their several adherents : but the man most looked up to, and 
followed and watched by the crowd, was Hans Van Pelt, an 
old Dutch sea-captain retired from service, the nautical oracle 
of the place. He reconnoitred the ship through an ancient 
telescope, covered with tarry canvas, hummed a Dutch tune to 
himself, and said nothing. A hum, however, from Hans Van 
Pelt, had always more weight with the public than a speech 
from another man. 

In the meantime the ship became more distinct to the naked 
eye : she was a stout, round, Dutch-built vessel, with high bow 
and poop, and bearing Dutch colors. The evening sun gilded 
her bellying canvas, as she came riding over the long waving 
billows. The sentinel who had given notice of her approach, 
declared, that he first got sight of her when she was in the 



Zl)C 5 torm =<Si)ip. 117 



centre of the bay ; and that she broke suddenly on his sight, 
just as if she had come out of the bosom of the black thunder- 
cloud. The bystanders looked at Hans Van Pelt, to see what 
he would say to this report : Hans Van Pelt screwed his 
mouth closer together, and said nothing ; upon which some 
shook their heads, and others shrugged their shoulders. 

The ship was now repeatedly hailed, but made no reply, and 
passing by the fort, stood on up the Hudson. A gun was 
brought to bear on her, and with some difficulty, loaded and 
fired by Hans Van Pelt, the garrison not being expert in 
artillery. The shot seemed absolutely to pass through the 
ship, and to skip along the water on the other side, but no 
notice was taken of it ! What was strange, she had all her 
sails set, and sailed right against wind and tide, which were 
both down the river. Upon this' Hans Van Pelt, who was 
likewise harbor-master, ordered his boat, and set off to board 
her ; but after rowing two or three hours, he returned without 
success. Sometimes he would get within one or two hundred 
yards of her, and then, in a twinkling, she would be half a 
mile off. Some said it was because his oarsmen, who were 
rather pursy and short-winded, stopped every now and then to 
take breath, and spit on their hands ; but this it is probable 
was a mere scandal. He got near enough, however, to see the 
crew ; who were all dressed in the Dutch style, the officers in 
doublets and high hats and feathers ; not a word was spoken 
by any one on board ; they stood as motionless as so many 
statues, and the ship seemed as if left to her own government. 
Thus she kept on, away up the river, lessening and lessening 
in the evening sunshine, until she faded from sight, like a little 
white cloud melting away in the summer sky. 

The appearance of this ship threw the governor into one of 
the deepest doubts that ever beset him in the whole course of 
his administration. Fears were entertained for the security of 
the infant settlements on the river, lest this might be an enemy's 
ship in disguise, sent to take possession. The governor called 
together his council repeatedly to assist him with their conjee- 



118 a Book of tfie f^ttlison. 



tures. He sat in his chair of state, built of timber from the 
sacred forest of the Hague, smoking his long jasmin pipe, and 
listening to all that his counsellors had to say on a subject 
about which they knew nothing ; but in spite of all the con- 
jecturing of the sagest and oldest heads, the governor still con- 
tinued to doubt. 

Messengers were dispatched to different places on the river ; 
but they returned without any tidings — the ship had made no 
port. Day after day, and week after week, elapsed, but she 
never returned down the Hudson. As, however, the council 
seemed solicitous for intelligence, they had it in abundance. 
The captains of the sloops seldom arrived without bringing 
some report of having seen the strange ship at different parts 
of the river ; sometimes near the Palisadoos, sometimes off 
Croton Pomt, and sometimes in the Highlands ; but she never 
was reported as having been seen above the Highlands. The 
crews of the sloops, it is tme, generally differed among them- 
selves in their accounts of these apparitions ; but that may 
have arisen from the uncertain situations in which they saw 
her. Sometimes it was by the flashes of the thunder-storm 
lighting up a pitchy night, and giving glimpses of her careering 
across Tappaan Zee, or the wide waste of Haverstraw Bay. 
At one moment she would appear close upon them, as if likely 
to run them down, and would throw them into great bustle 
and alarm ; but the next flash would show her far off, always 
sailing against the wind. Sometimes, in quiet moonlight 
nights, she would be seen under some high bluff of the High- 
lands, all in deep shadow, excepting her topsails glittering in 
the moonbeams ; by the time, however, that the voyagers 
reached the place, no ship was to be seen ; and when they had 
passed on for some distance, and looked back, behold ! there 
she was again, with her top-sails in the moonshine ! Her 
appearance was always just after, or just before, or just in the 
midst of unraly weather ; and she was known among the 
skippers and voyagers of the Hudson by the name of "the 
stoiTH-ship." 



Ci^e .Storm:5f)ip. 119 



Thc?e reports perplexed the governor and his council more 
than ev^r, and it would be endless to repeat the conjectures and 
opinions uttered oh the subject. Some quoted cases in point, 
of ships seen off the coast of New England, navigated by 
witches and goblins. Old Hans Van Pelt, who had been more 
than once to the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope, in- 
sisted that this must be the Flying Dutchman, which had so 
long haunted Table Bay, but being unable to make port, had 
now sought another harbor. Others suggested, that if it really 
was a supernatural apparition, as there was every natural rea- 
son to believe, it might be Hendrick Hudson, and his crew of 
the Halfmoon, who, it was well known, had once run aground 
in the upper part of the river, in seeking a north-west passage 
to China. This opinion had very little weight with the 
governor, but it passed current out of doors, for, indeed, it had 
already been reported that Hendrick Hudson and his crew 
haunted the Kaatskill Mountain ; and it appeared very reason- 
able to suppose, that his ship might infest the river where the 
enterprise was baffled, or that it might bear the shadowy crew 
to their periodical revels in the mountain. 

Other events occurred to occupy the thoughts and doubts of 
the sage VVouter and his council, and the storm-ship ceased to 
be a subject of deliberation at the board. It continued, how- 
ever, a matter of 'popular belief and marvellous anecdote 
through the whole time of the Dutch government, and particu- 
larly just before the capture of New Amsterdam, and the sub- 
jugation of the province by the English squadron. About that 
time the storm-ship was repeatedly seen in the Tappaan Zee, 
and about Weehawk, and even down as far as Hoboken, and her 
appearance was supposed to be ominous of the approaching 
squall in public afTairs, and the downfall of Dutch domination. 

Since that time we have no authentic accounts of her, though 
it is said she still haunts the Highlands, and cruises about Point- 
no-point. People who live along the river, insist that they 
sometimes see her in summer moonlight, and that in a deep, 
still midnight, they have heard the chant of her crew, as if 



120 ^ Booft of tf)£ f^uligon. 



heaving the lead ; but sights and sounds are so deceptive along 
the mountainous shores, and about the wide bays and long 
reaches of this great river, that I confess I have very strong 
doubts upon the subject. 

"" It is certain, nevertheless, that strange things have been seen 
in these highlands in storms, which are considered as connect- 
ed with the old story of the ship. The captains of the river 
craft talk of a little bulbous-bottomed Dutch goblin, in trunk 
hose and sugar-loafed hat, with a speaking trampet in his 
hand, which they say keeps the Dunderberg.* They declare 
that they have heard him, in stormy weather, in the midst of 
the turmoil, giving orders in low Dutch, for the piping up of a 
fresh gust of wind, or the rattling off of another thunder-clap. 
That sometimes he has been seen surrounded by a crew of lit- 
tle imps, in broad breeches and short doublets, tumbling head 
over heels in the rack and mist, and playing a thousand gam- 
bols in the air, or buzzing like a swarm of flies about Antony's 
nose ; and that, at such times, the hurry-scurry of the storm 
was always greatest. One time a sloop, in passing by the 
Dunderberg, was overtaken by a thunder-gust, that came 
scouring round the mountain, and seemed to burst just over the 
vessel. Though tight and well ballasted, she labored dread- 
fully, and the water came over the gunwale. All the crew 
were amazed, when it was discovered thift there was a little 
white sugar-loaf hat on the mast-head, known at once to be 
the hat of the Heer of the Dunderberg. Nobody, however, 
dared to climb to the mast-head, and get rid of this terrible 
hat. The sloop continued laboring and rocking, as if she 
would have rolled her mast overboard, and seemed in continual 
danger either of upsetting, or of running on shore. In this 
way she drove quite through the Highlands, until she had 
passed PoUopol's Island, where, it is said, the jurisdiction of the 
Dunderberg potentate ceases. No sooner had she passed this 
bourne, than the little hat spun up into the air, like a top, 

* i. e. the " Thunder-Mountain," so called from its echoes. 



C:i^f5torm = Sf)tp. 121 



whirled up all the clouds into a vortex, and hurried them back 
to the summit of the Dunderberg, while the sloop righted her- 
self, and sailed on as quietly as if in a mill-pond. Nothing 
saved her from utter wreck but the fortunate circumstance of 
having a horse-shoe nailed against the mast, a wise precaution 
against evil spirits, since adopted by all the Dutch captains that 
navigate this haunted river. 

There is another story told of this foul-weather urchin, by 
Skipper Daniel Ouslesticker, of Fishkill, who was never known 
to tell a lie. He declared that, in a severe squall, he saw him 
seated astride of his bowsprit, riding the sloop ashore, full butt 
against Antony's nose, and that he was exorcised by Dominie 
Van Gieson, of Esopus, who happened to be on board, and who 
sang the hymn of St. Nicholas, whereupon the goblin threw 
himself up in the air like a ball, and went off in a whirlwind, 
carrying away with him the nightcap of the Dominie's wife, 
which was discovered the next Sunday morning hanging on 
the weathercock of Esopus church steeple, at least forty miles 
off. Several events of this kind having taken place, the regu- 
lar skippers of the river, for a long time, did not venture to 
pass the Dunderberg without lowering their peaks, out of 
homage to the Heer of the mountain, and it was observed that 
all such as paid this tribute of respect were suffered to pass 
unmolested.* 

* Among the superstitions which prevailed in the colonies during the 
early times of the settlements, there seems to have been a singular one 
about phantom ships. The superstitious fancies of men are always apt 
to turn upon those objects which concern their daily occupations. The 
solitary ship, which, from year to year, came like a raven in the wil- 
derness, bringing to the inhabitants of a settlement the comforts of life 
from the world from wliich they were cut off, was apt to be present to 
their dreams, whether sleeping or waking. The accidental sight from 
shore of a sail gliding along the horizon in those, as yet, lonely seas, 
was apt to be a matter of nuich talk and speculation. Tliere is mention 
made in one of the early New P'ngland writers, of a ship navigated by 
witches, with a great horse that stood by the mainmast. I have met 
another story, somewhere, of a shi|) that drove on shore, in fair, sunny, 
tranquil weather, with sails all set, and a table spread in the cabin, as if 
6 



122 SI 33ooft of ti^e l^ulisnn. 



" Such," said Antony Vander Heyden, " are a few of the 
stones written down by Selyne the poet, concerning this storm- 
ship ; which he affirms to have brought a crew of mischievous 
imps into the province, from some old ghost-ridden country of 
Europe. I could give you a host more, if necessary ; for all 
the accidents that so often befall the river craft in the Highlands 
are said to be tricks played off by these imps of the Dunder- 
berg ; but I see that you are nodding, so let us turn in for the 
night." 

The moon had just raised her silver horns above th^round 
back of Old Bull Hill, and lit up the grey rocks and shagged 
forests, and glittered on the waving bosom of the river. The 
night dew was falling, and the late gloomy mountains began to 
soiten and put on a grey aerial tint in the dewy light. The 
hunters stirred the fire, and threw on fresh fuel to qualify the 
damp of the night air. They then prepared a bed of branches 
and dry leaves under a ledge of rocks for Dolph ; while 
Antony Vander Heyden, wrapping himself in a huge coat of 
skins, stretched himself before the fire. It was some time, 
however, before Dolph could close his eyes. He lay con- 
templating the strange scene before him : the wild woods and 
rocks around ; the fire throwing fitful gleams on the faces of 
the sleeping savages; and the Heer Antony, too, » who so 
singularly, yet vaguely, reminded him of the nightly visitant 
to the haunted house. Now and then he heard the cry of 
some animal from the forest ; or the hooting of the owl ; or 
the notes of the whip-poor-will, which seemed to abound 
among these solitudes ; or the splash of a sturgeon, leaping out 

to ren;nle a number of guests, yet not a living being on board. Thee 
phantom ships always sailed in the eye of the wind, or ploughed their 
way with great velocity, making the smooth sea foam before their bows, 
when not a breath of air was stirring. 

Moore has finely wrought up one of these legends of the sea into a 
little t-ile, which, within a small compass, contains the very essence 
of this species of supernatural fiction. I allude to his Spectre-Ship, 
bound to Deadman's Isle. 



©aXp5 l^ealtger. 123 



of the river, and falling back full length on its placid surface. 
He contrasted all this with his accustomed nest in the garret 
room of the doctor's mansion ; where the only sounds at night 
were the church clock telling the hour ; the drowsy voice of 
the watchman, drawling out all was well ; the deep snoring 
of the doctor's clubbed nose from below stairs ; or the cautious 
labors of some carpenter rat gnawing in the wainscot. His 
thoughts then wandered to his poor old mother : what would 
she think of his mysterious disappearance — what anxiety and 
distre^ would she not suffer ? This thought would continually 
intrude itself to mar his present enjoyment. It brought with it 
a feeling of pain and compunction, and he fell asleep with the 
tears yet standing in his eyes. 

Were this a mere tale of fancy, here would be a fine opportu- 
nity for weaving in strange adventures among these wild 
mountains, and roving hunters ; and, after involving my hero in 
a variety of perils and difficulties, rescuing him from them all 
by some miraculous contrivance ; but as this is absolutely a 
true story, I must content myself with simple facts, and keep 
to probabilities. 

At an early hour of the next day, therefore, after a hearty 
morning's meal, the encampment broke up, and our adventurers 
embarked in the pinnace of Antony Vander Heyden. There 
being no wind for the sails, the Indians rowed her gently along, 
keeping time to a kind of chant of one of the white men. 
The day was serene and beautiful ; the river without a wave ; 
and as the vessel cleft the glassy water, it left a long, undulat- 
ing track behind. The crows, who had scented the hunter's 
banquet, were already gathering and hovering in the air, just 
where a column of thin, blue smoke, rising from among the 
trees, showed the place of their last night's quarters. As they 
coasted along the basis of the mountains, the Heer Antony 
pointed out to Dolph a bald eagle, the sovereign of the.re 
regions, veho sat perched on a dry tree that projected over the 
river ; and, with eye turned upwards, eeemed to be drinking in 
the splendor of the morning sun. Their approach disturbed 



124 ^ Uook of tfjf ?^uT3gon. 



the monarch's meditations. He first spread one wing, and 
then the other ; balanced himself for a moment ; and then, 
quitting his perch with dignified composure, wheeled slowly 
over their heads. Dolph snatched up a gun, and sent a 
whistling ball after him, that cut some of the feathers from his 
wing ; the report of the gun leaped sharply from rock to rock, 
and awakened a thousand echoes ; but the monarch of the air 
sailed calmly on, ascending higher and higher, and wheeling 
widely as he ascended, soaring up the green bosom of the 
woody mountain, until he disappeared over the brow of a 
beetling precipice. Dolph felt in a manner rebuked by this 
proud tranquillity, and almost reproached himself for having so 
wantonly insulted this majestic bird. Heer Antony told him, 
laughing, to remember that he was not yet out of the territories 
of the lord of the Dunderberg ; and an old Indian shook his 
head, and observed, that there was bad luck in killing an eagle ; 
the hunter, on the contrary, should always leave him a portion 
of his spoils. 

Nothing, however, occurred to molest them on their voyage. 
They passed pleasantly through magnificent and lonely scenes, 
until they came to where Pollopol's Island lay, like a floating 
bower, at the extremity of the JHighlands. Here they landed, 
until the heat of the day should abate, or a breeze spring up, 
that might supersede the labor of the oar. Some prepared the 
mid-day meal, while others reposed under the shade of the 
trees in luxurious summer indolence, looking drowsily forth 
upon the beauty of the scene. On the one side were the High- 
lands, vast and cragged, feathered to the top with forests, and 
throwing their shadows on the glassy water that dimpled at 
their feet. On the other side was a wide expanse of the river, 
like a broad lake, with long sunny reaches, and green head- 
lands ; and the distant line of Shawungunk mountains waving 
along a clear horizon, or checkered by a fleecy cloud. 

But I forbear to dwell on the particulars of their cruise along 
the river ; this vagrant, amphibious life, careering across silver 
sheets of water ; coasting wild woodland shores ; banqueting on 



Dolpf) ?tUaHflcr. 125 



shady promontories, with the spreading tree over head, the 
river curling its light foam on one's feel, the distant mountain, 
and rock, and tree, and snow^y cloud, and deep blue sky, all 
mingling in summer beauty before one ; all this, though never 
cloying in the enjoyment, would be but tedious in narration. 

When encamped by the water-side, some of the party would 
go into the woods and hunt ; others would fish : sometimes 
they would amuse themselves by shooting at a mark, by leap- 
ing, by nanning, by wrestling ; and Dolph gained great favor in 
tile eyes of Antony Vander Heyden, by his skill and adroitness 
in all the?e exercises ; which the Heer considered as the highest 
of manly accomplishments. 

Thus did they coast jollily on, choosing only the pleasant 
hours for voyaging ; sometimes in the cool morning dawn, 
sometimes in the sober evening twilight, and sometimes when 
the moonshine spangled the crisp curling waves that whispered 
along the sides of their little bark. Never had Dolph felt so 
completely in his element ; never had he met with anything so 
completely to his taste as this wild, hap-hazard life. He was 
the very man to second Antony Vander Heyden in his rambling 
humors, and gained continually on his affections* The heart 
of the old bush-whacker yearned towards the young man, who 
seemed thus growing up in his own likeness ; and as they 
approached to the end of their voyage, he could not help 
inquiring a little into his history. Dolph frankly told him his 
course of life, his severe medical studies, his little proficiency, 
and his very dubious prospects. The Heer was shocked to 
find that such amazing talents and accomplishments were to be 
cramped and buried under a doctor's wig. He had a sovereign 
contempt for the healing art, having never had any other 
physician than the butcher. He bore a mortal grudge to all 
kinds of study also, ever since he had been flogged about an 
unintelligible book when he was a boy. But to think that a 
young fellow like Dolph, of such wonderful abilities, who 
could shoot, fish, run, jump, ride, and wrestle, should be 
obliged to roll pills, and administer juleps for a living — 'twas 



126 ^ 33oofe of t^e |^u\i3nn. 



monstrous ! He told Dolph never to despair, but to " throw 
physic to the dogs ;" for a young fellow of his prodigious 
talents could never fail to make his way. " As you seem to 
have no acquaintance in Albany," said Heer Antony, " you 
shall go home with me, and remain under my roof until you 
can look about you ; and in the meantime we can take an 
occasional bout at shooting and fishing, for it is a pity that such 
talents should lie idle." 

Dolph, who was at the mercy of chance, was not hard to 
be persuaded. Indeed, on turning over matters in his mind, 
which he did very sagely and deliberately, he could not but 
think that Antony Vander Heyden was, " somehow or other," 
connected with the story of the Haunted House ; that the mis- 
adventure in the Highlands, which had thrown them so strangely 
together, was, " somehow or other," to work out something 
good : in short, there is nothing so convenient as this " some- 
how or other" way of accommodating one's self to circum- 
stances ; it is the main stay of a heedless actor and tardy rea- 
soner, like Dolph Heyliger ; and he who can, in this loose, 
easy way, link foregone evil to anticipated good, possesses a 
secret of han^iess almost equal to the philosophei-'s stone. 

On their arrival at Albany, the sight of Dolph's companion 
seemed to cause universal satisfaction. Many were the greet- 
ings at the river-side, and the salutations in the streets ; the 
dogs bounded before him ; the boys whooped as he passed ; 
everybody seemed to know Antony Vander Heyden. Dolph 
followed on in silence, admiring the neatness of this worthy 
burgh ; for in those days Albany was in all its glory, and in- 
habited almost exclusively by the descendants of the original 
Dutch settlers, not having as yet been discovered and colonized 
by the restless people of New England. Everything was 
quiet and orderly ; everything was conducted calmly and lei- 
surely ; no hurry, no bustle, no struggling and scrambling for 
existence. The grass grew about the unpaved streets, and 
relieved the eye by its refreshing verdure. Tall sycamores or 
pendent willows shaded the houses, with caterpillars swinging. 



SoIpJ) l^egltBer. 127 



in long silken strings, from their fine branches ; or moths 
fluttering about lilie coxcombs, in joy at their gay transforma- 
tion. The houses were built in the old Dutch style, with the 
gable ends towards the street. The thrifty housewife was 
seated on a bench before her door, in close-crimped cap, 
bright flowered gown, and white apron, busily employed in 
knitting. The husband smoked his pipe on the opposite 
bench, and the little pet negro girl, seated on the step at her 
mistress's feet, was industriously plying her needle. The 
swallows sported about the eaves, or skimmed along the 
streets, and brought back some rich booty for their clamorous 
young ; and the little housekeeping wren flew in and out of a 
Lilliputian house, or an old hat nailed against the wall. The 
cows were coming home, lowing through the streets, to be 
milked at their owner's door ; and if, perchance, there were 
any loiterers, some negro urchin, with a long goad, was gently 
urging them homewards. 

As Dolph'g companion passed on, he received a tranquil nod 
from the burghers, and a friendly word from their wives ; all 
calling him familiarly by the name of Antony ; for it was the 
custom in this stronghold of the patriarchs, where they had all 
grown up together from childhood, to call each other by the 
Christian name. The Heer did not pause to have his usual 
jokes with them, for he was impatient to reach his home. At 
length they arrived at his mansion. It was of some magni- 
tude, in the Dutch style, with large iron figures on the gables, 
that gave the date of its erection, and showed that it had been 
built in the earliest times of the settlement. 

The news of Heer Antony's arrival had preceded him, and 
the whole household was on the look-out. A crew of negroes, 
large and small, had collected in front of the house to receive 
him. The old, white-headed ones, who had grown grey in 
his service, grinned for joy, and made many awkward bows 
and grimaces, and the little ones capered about his knees. But 
the most happy being in the household was a little, plump, 
blooming lass, his only child, and the darling of his heart. She 



128 aa3ooftoft§e|Huti20tt. 



came bounding out of the house ; but the sight of a strange 
young man with her father called up, for a moment, all the 
bashfulness of a homebred damsel. Dolph gazed at her with 
wonder and delight ; never had he seen, as he thought, any- 
thing so comely in the shape of woman. She was dressed in 
the good old Dutch taste, with long stays, and full, short pet- 
ticoats, so admirably adapted to show and set off the female 
form. Her hair, turned up under a small round cap, displayed 
the fairness of her forehead ; she had fine, blue, laughing eyes ; 
a trim, slender waist, and soft swell — but, in a word, she was 
a little Dutch divinity ; and Dolph, who never stopped half-way 
in a new impulse, fell desperately in love with her. 

Dolph was now ushered into the house with a hearty wel- 
come. In the interior was a mingled display of Heer Antony's 
taste and habits, and of the opulence of his predecessors. The 
chambers were furnished with good old mahogany ; the 
beaufets and cupboards glittered with embossed silver and 
painted china. Over the parlor fireplace was, as usual, the 
family coat of arras, painted and framed : above which was a 
long duck fowling-piece, flanked by an Indian pouch, and a 
powder-horn. The room was decorated with many Indian 
articles, such as pipes of peace, tomahawks, scalping-knives, 
hunting-pouches, and belts of wampum ; and there were 
various kinds of fishing-tackle, and two or three fowling- 
pieces in the comers. The household affairs seemed to be 
conducted, in some measure, after the masters humors ; cor- 
rected, perhaps, by a little quiet management of the daughter's. 
There was a great degree of patriarchal simplicity and good- 
humored indulgence. The negroes came into the room with- 
out being called, merely to look at their master, and hear of 
his adventures ; they would stand listening at the door until he 
had finished a story, and then go off on a broad grin, to 
repeat it in the kitchen. A couple of pet negro children were 
playing about the floor with the dogs, and sharing with them 
their bread and butter. All the domestics looked hearty and 
happy ; and when the table was set for the evening repast, the 



Bolpf) ?l.UEHscr. 129 



variety and abundance of good household luxuries bore testi- 
mony to the open-handed liberality of the Heer, and the no- 
table housewifery of his daughter. 

In the evening there dropped in several of the worthies of 
the place, the Van Rennsellaers, and the Gansevoorts, and the 
Rosebooms,and others of Antony Vander Heyden's intimates, to 
hear an account of his expedition, for he was the Sindbad of 
Albany, and his exploits and adventures were favorite topics of 
conversation among the inhabitants. While these sat gossip- 
ing together about the door of the hall, and telling long twilight 
stories, Dolph was cosily seated, entertaining the daughter, on 
a window bench. He had already got on intimate terms, for 
those were not times of false reserve and idle ceremony ; and, 
besides, there is something wonderfully propitious to a lover's 
suit, in the delightful dusk, of a long summer evening, it 
gives courage to the most timid tongue, and hides the blushes 
oi" the bashful. The stars above twinkled brightly, and now 
and then a firefly streamed his transient light before the win- 
dow, or, wandering into the room, flew gleaming about the 
ceiling. 

What Dolph whispered in her ear that long summer even- 
ing it is impossible to say ; his words were so low and 
indistinct, that they never reached the ear of the historian. 
It is probable, however, that they were to the purpose; for he 
had a natural talent at pleasing the sex, and was never long in 
company with a petticoat, without paying proper court to 
it. 

In the meantime the visitors, one by one, departed ; Antony 
Vander Heyden, who had fairly talked himself silent, sat nodding 
alone in his chair by the door, when he was suddenly aroused 
by a hearty salute with which Dolph Heyliger had unguarded- 
ly rounded off" o.ne of his periods, and which echoed through 
the still chamber like the report of a pistol. The Heer start- 
ed up, rubbed his eyes, called for lights, and observed that it 
was high time to go to bed, though, on parting for the night, 
he squeezed Dolph heartily by the hand, looked kindly in liis 



130 ^ 13oofe of tfje ?fe}uli20rt. 



face, and shook his head knowingly, for the Hear well remem- 
bered what he himself had been at the youngster's age. 

The chamber in which our hero was lodged was spacious, 
and panelled with oak. It was furnished with clothes-presses, 
and mighty chests of drawers, well waxed, and glittering with 
brass ornaments. These contained ample stock of family 
linen, for the Dutch housewives had always a laudable pride 
in showing off their household treasures to strangers. 

Dolph's mind, however, was too full to take particular notice 
of the objects around hun ; yet he could not help continually 
comparing the free, open-hearted cheeriness of this establish- 
ment, with the starveling, sordid, joyless housekeeping at Doc- 
tor Knipperhausen's. Still something marred the enjoyment ; 
the idea that he must take leave of his hearty host and pretty 
hostess, and cast himself once more adrift upon the world. 
To Imger here would be folly ; he should only get deeper in 
love, and for a poor varlet, like hhnself, to aspire to the daugh- 
ter of the great Heer Vander Heyden — it was madness to think 
of such a thing. The very kindness that the girl had shown 
towards him, prompted him, on reflection, to hasten his de- 
parture ; it would be a poor return for the frank hospitality of 
his host, to entangle his daughter's heart in an injudicious at- 
tachment. In a word, Dolph was like many other young' 
reasoners, of exceeding good hearts, and giddy heads, who 
think after they act, and act differently from what they think ; 
who make excellent determinations over night, and forget to 
keep them the next morning. 

" This is a fine conclusion, truly, of my voyage," said he, as 
he almost buried himself in a sumptuous feather-bed, and drew 
the fresh white sheets up to his chin. " Here am I, instead of 
finding a bag of money to carry home, launched in a strange 
place, wdth scarcely a stiver in my pocket, and, what is worse, 
have jumped ashore up to my very ears in love into the bargain. 
However," added he, after some pause, stretching himself, and 
turning himself in bed, " I'm in good quarters for the present, 
at least, so I'll e'en enjoy the present moment, and let the next 



i 



J3olpij megltstr. 131 



take care of itself; I dare say all will work out, * somehow or 
other,' for the best." 

As he said these words, he reached out his hand to extin- 
guish the candle, when he was suddenly struck with astonish- 
ment and dismay, for he thought he beheld the phantom of the 
haunted house staring on him from a dusky part of the cham- 
ber. A second look reassured him, as he perceived that what he 
had taken for a spectre was, in fact, nothing but a Flemish 
portrait, hanging in a shadowy corner, just behind a clothes- 
press. It was, however, the precise representation of his night- 
ly visitor. The same cloak and belted jerkin, the same 
grizzled beard and fixed eye, the same broad* slouched hat, 
with a feather hanging over one side. Dolph now called to 
mind the resemblance he had frequently remarked between his 
host and the old man of the haunted house, and was fully 
convinced they were in some way connected, and that some 
especial destiny had governed his voyage. He lay gazing on 
the portrait with almost as much awe as he had gazed on the 
ghostly original, until the shrill house-clock warned him of 
the lateness of the hour. He put out the light, but remained 
for a long time turning over these curious circumstances and 
coincidences in his mind, until he fell asleep. His dreams par- 
took of the nature orhis waking thoughts. He fancied that 
he still lay gazing on the picture, until, by degrees, it became 
ananated ; that the figure descended from the wall, and walk- 
ed out of the room, that he followed it, and found himself by 
the well, to which the old man pointed, smiled on him, and 
disappeared. 

In the morning, when he waked, he found his host standing 
by his bedside, who gave him a hearty morning's salutation, and 
asked him how he had slept. Dolph answered cheerily, but 
took occasion to inquire about the portrait that himg against 
the wall. " Ah," said Heer Antony, " that's a portrait of old 
Killian Vander Spiegel, once a burgomaster of Amsterdam, 
who, on some popular troubles, abandoned Holland, and camo, 
over to the province during the government of Peter Stuyves'ant. 



132 a Soofe of tf)c ?lluoson. 



He was my ancestor by the mother's side, and an old miserly 
curmudgeon he was. When the English took possession of 
New Amsterdam, in 1664, he retired into the country. He 
fell into a melancholy, apprehending that his wealth would be 
taken from him, and he come to beggary. He turned all his 
property into cash, and used to hide it away. He was for a 
year or two concealed in various places, fancying himself 
sought after by the English, to strip him of his wealth ; and 
finally was found dead in his bed one morning, without any one 
being able to discover where he had concealed the greater part 
of his money." 

When his host had left the room, Dolph remained for some 
time lost in thought. His whole mind was occupied by what 
he had heard. Vander Spiegel was his mother's family name ; 
and he recollected to have heard her speak of this veiy Killian 
Vander Spiegel as one of her ancestors. He had heard her 
say, too, that her father was Killian's rightful heir, only that 
the old man died without leaving anything to be inherited. It 
now appeared that Heer Antony was likewise a descendant, 
and perhaps an heir, also, of this poor rich man, and that thus 
the Heyligers and the Vander Heydens were remotely con- 
nected. " What," thought he, " if, after all, this is the inter- 
pretation of my dream, that this is the way I .am to make my 
fortune by this voyage to Albany, and that I am to find the 
old man's hidden wealth in the bottom of that well ? But 
what an odd round-about mode of communicating the matter ! 
Wliy the plague could not the old goblin have told me about 
the well at once, without sending me all the way to Albany, 
to hear a story that was to send me all the way back again ?" 

These thoughts passed through his mind while he was 
dressing. He descended the stairs, full of perplexity, when 
the bright face of Marie Vander Heyden suddenly beamed in 
smiles upon him, and seemed to give him a clue to the whole 
mystery. " After all," thought he, " the old goblin is ia the 
•right. If I am to get his wealth, he means that I shall marry 
hie pretty descendant ; thus both branches of the family will be 



©olpf) %eQlistx. 133 



again united, and the property go on in the proper chan- 
nel." 

No sooner did this idea enter his head, than it carried con- 
viction with it. He was now all impatience to hurry back and 
secure the treasure, which, he did not doubt, lay at the bottom 
of" the well, and which he feared every moment might be 
discovered by some other person. " Who knows," thought he, 
" but this night-walking old fellow of the haunted house may 
be in the habit of haunting every visitor, and may give a hint 
to some shrewder fellow than myself, who will take a shorter 
cut to the well than by the way of Albany ]" He wished a 
thousand times that the babbling old ghost was laid in the Red 
Sea, and his rambling portrait with him. He was in a perfect 
fever to depart. Two or three days elapsed before any 
opportunity presented for returning down the river. They 
were ages to Dolph, notwithstanding that he was basking in 
the smiles of the pretty Marie, and daily getting more and 
more enamored. 

At length the very sloop from which he had been knocked 
overboard, prepared to make sail. Dolph made an awkward 
apology to his host for his sudden departure. Antony Vander 
Heyden was sorely astonished. He had concerted half a dozen 
excursions into the wilderness ; and his Indians were actually 
preparing for a grand expedition to one of the lakes. He took 
Dolph aside, and exerted his eloquence to get him to abandon 
all thoughts of business and to remain with him, but in vain ; 
and he at length gave up the attempt, observing, " that it was a 
thousand pities so fine a young man should throw himself 
away." Heer Antony, however, gave him a hearty shake by 
the hand at parting, with a favorite fowling-piece, and an 
invitation to come to his house whenever he revisited Albany. 
The pretty little Marie said nothing ; but as he gave her a 
farewell kiss, her dimpled cheek turned pale, and a tear stood 
in her eye. 

Dolph sprang lightly on board of the vessel. They hoisted 
sail ; the wind was fair ; they soon lost sight of Albanv, its 



154 "^ JSook of tfte ft^utiBon. 



green hills, and embowered islands. They were wafted gaily 
past the Kaatskill mountains, whose fairy heights were bright 
and cloudless. They passed prosperously through the High- 
lands, without any molestation from the Dunderberg goblin and 
his crew ; they sv»^ept on across Haverstraw Bay, and by 
Croton Point, and through the Tappaan Zee, and under the 
Palisadoes, until, in the afternoon of the third day, they saw 
the promontory of Hoboken, hanging like a cloud in the air ; 
and, shortly after, the roofs of the Manhattoes rising out of the 
water. 

Dolph's first care was to repair to his mother's house ; for he 
was continually goaded by the idea of the uneasiness she must 
experience on his account. He was puzzling his brains, as he 
went along, to think how he should account for his absence, 
without betraying the secrets of the haunted house. In the 
midst of these cogitations, he entered the street in which his 
mother's house was situated, when he was thunderstruck at 
beholding it a heap of ruins. 

There had evidently been a great fire, which had destroyed 
several large houses, and the humble dwelling of poor Dame 
Heyliger had been involved in the conflagration. The walls 
were not so completely destroyed, but that Dolph could 
distinguish some traces of the scene of his childhood. The 
fireplace, about which he had often played, still remained, 
ornamented with Dutch tiles, illustrating passages in Bible 
history, on which he had many a time gazed with admiration. 
Among the rubbish lay the wreck of the good dame's elbow- 
chair, from which she had given him so many a wholesome 
precept ; and hard by it was the family Bible, with brass clasps ; 
now, alas ! reduced almost to a cinder. 

For a moment Dolph was overcome by this dismal sight, for 
he was seized with the fear that his mother had perished in 
the flames. He was relieved, however, from this horrible 
apprehension, by one of the neighbors, who happened to come 
by and informed him that his mother was yet alive. 

The good woman had, indeed, lost everything by this 



©alpi) ^ZQliset. 135 



unlocked for calamity ; for the populace had been so intent 
upon saving the fine furniture of her rich neighbors, thut the 
little tenement, and the little all of poor Dame Heyliger, had 
been suffered to consume without interruption ; nay, had it not 
been for the gallant assistance of her old crony, Peter de 
Groodt, the worthy dame and her cat might have shared the 
fate of their habitation. 

As it was, she had been overcome with fright and affliction, 
and lay ill in body and sick at heart. The public, however, 
had showed her its vv^onted kindness. The furniture of her rich 
neighbors being, as far as possible, rescued from the flames ; 
themselves duly and ceremoniously visited and condoled with 
on the injury of their property, and their ladies commiserated 
on the agitation of their nerves ; the- public, at length, began to 
recollect something about poor Dame Heyliger. She forthwith 
became again a subject of universal sympathy ; everybody 
pitied her more than ever ; and if pity could but have been 
coined into cash — good Lord ! how rich she would have been ! 

It w^as now determined, in good earnest, that something 
ought to be done for her without delay. The Dominie, there- 
fore, put up prayers for her on Sunday, in which all the 
congregation joined most heartily. Even Cobus Groesbeek, 
the alderman, and Mynheer Milledollar, the great Dutch 
merchant, stood up in their pews, and did not spare their voices 
on the occasion ; and it was thought the prayers of such great 
men could not but have their due weight. Doctor Knipper- 
hausen, too, visited her professionally, and gave her abundance 
of advice gratis, and was universally lauded for his charity. 
As to iftr old friend, Peter de Groodt, he was a poor man, 
whose pity, and prayers, and advice, could be of but little 
avail, so he gave her all that was in his power — he gave her 
shelter. 

To the humble dwelling of Peter de Groodt, then, did Dolph 
turn his steps. On his way thither, he recalled all the tender- 
ness and kindness of his sunple-hearted parent, her indulgence 
of his errors, her blindness to his faults ; and then he bethought 



136 ^ 33ooft of tfjc ^Mtsaon. 



himself of his own idle, harum-scarum life. " I've been a sad 
scapegrace," said Dolph, shaking his head sorrowfully. " I've 
been a complete sink-pocket, that'9 the tmth of it ! — But," 
added he briskly, and clasping his hands, '* only let her live — 
only let her live — and I'll show myself indeed a son !" 

As Dolph approached the house he met Peter de Groodt 
coming out of it. The old man started back aghast, doubting 
whether it was not a ghost that stood before him. It being 
bright daylight, however, Peter soon plucked up heart, satisfied 
that no ghost dare show his face in such clear sunshine. Dolph 
now learned from the worthy sexton the consternation and 
rumor to which his mysterious disappearance had given rise. 
It had been universally believed that he had been spirited away 
by those hobgoblin gentry that infested the haunted house ; and 
old Abraham Vandozer, who lived by the great buttonwood 
trees, near the three-mile stone, affirmed, that he had heard a 
terrible noise in the air, as he was going home late at night, 
which seemed just as if a flock of wild-geese were overhead, 
passing off" towards the northward. The haunted house was, 
in consequence, looked upon with ten times more awe than 
ever ; nobody would venture to pass a night in it for the 
world, and even the doctor had ceased to make 'his expedition.? 
to it in the daytime. 

It required some preparation before Dolph's return could be 
made known to his mother, the poor soul having bewailed him 
as lost ; and her spirits having been sorely broken down by a 
number of comforters, who daily cheered her with stories of 
ghosts, and of people carried away by the devil. He found her 
confined to her bed, with the other member of the xleyliger 
family, the good dame's cat, purruig beside her, but sadly 
singed, and utterly despoiled of those whiskers which were the 
glory of her physiognomy. The poor woman threw her arms 
about Dolph's neck : " My boy ! my boy ! art thou still 
alive V For a time she seemed to have forgotten all her 
losses and troubles in her joy at his return. Even the sage 
grimalkin showed indubitable signs of joy at- the return of the 



©olpf) ?^ealiger. 137 



youngster. She saw, perhaps, that they were a forlorn and 
undone family,and felt a touch of that kindliness which fellow- 
sufferers only know. But, in tnath, cats are a slandered 
people ; they have more affection in them than the world com- 
monly gives them credit for. 

The good dame's eyes glistened as she saw one being, at 
least, beside herself, rejoiced at her son's return. " Tib knows 
thee ! poor dumb beast !" said she, smoothing down the 
mottled coat of her favorite ; then recollecting herself, with a 
melancholy shake of the head, " Ah, my poor Dolph !" ex- 
claimed she, " thy mother ctyi help thee no longer ! She can 
no longer help herself! What will become of thee, my poor 
boy !" 

" Mother," said Dolph, " don't talk in that strain ; I've been 
too long a charge upon you ; it's now my part to take care 
of you in your old days. Come ! be of good heart ! you, and 
I, and Tib will all see better days. I'm here, you see, young, 
and sound, and hearty ; then don't let us despair ; I dare say 
things will all, somehow or other, turn out for the best." 

While this scene was going on with the Heyliger family, the 
news was carried to Doctor Knipperhausen, of the safe return 
of his disciple. The little doctor scarce knew whether to 
rejoic'e or be sorry at the tidings. He was happy at having the 
foul reports which had prevailed concerning his country 
mansion thus disproved ; but he grieved at having his disciple, 
of whom he had supposed himself fairly disencumbered, thus 
drifting back, a heavy charge upon his hands. While balancing 
between these two feelings, he was determined by the counsels 
of Frail Il.-y, who advised him to take advantage of the truant 
absence of the youngster, and shut the door upon him ibr 
ever. 

At the hour of bed-time, therefore, when it was supposed the 
recreant disciple would seek his old quarters, everything was 
prepared for his reception. Dolph, having talked his mother 
into a state of tranquillity, sought the mansion of his quondam 
master, and raised the knocker with a faltering hand. Scarcely, 



138 ^ Sooft of tf)e |i?ut;son. 



however, had it given a dubious rap, when the doctoi-'s head, 
m a red night-cap, popped out of one window, and the 
housekeepers, in a white night-cap, out of another. He was 
now greeted with a tremendous volley of hard names and hard 
language, mingled with invaluable pieces of advice, such as 
u:e :el(lom ventured to be given excepting to a friend in dis- 
t.c; :•, or a culprit at the bar. In a few moments, not a window 
ill t'le street but had its particular night-cap, listening to tiie 
thr.li treble of Frau Ilsy, and the guttural croaking of Dr. 
Kiiipperhausen ; and the word went from window to window, 
" Ah ! here's Dolph Heyliger corne back, and at his old pranks 
a jHii." In short, poor Dolph found he was likely to get 
loilung from the doctor but good advice, a commodity so 
al)uii(!ant as even to be thrown out of the window ; so he was 
i'.i.n to beat a retreat, and take up his quarters for "the night 
under the lowly roof of honest Peter de Groodt. 

The next morning, bright and early, Dolph was out at the 
Imuiitcd house. Everything looked just as he had left it. The 
Lf'J.5 were grass-grown and matted, and appeared as if nobody 
had traversed them since his departure. With palpitating heart 
he hastened to the well. He looked down into it, and sav/ 
t'i;vt it was of great depth, with w^ater at the bottom. He had 
piovided himself with a strong line, such as the fishermen use 
1 ihe banks of Newfoundland. At the end was a heavy 
plummet and a large fish-hook! With this he began to sound 
the bottom of the well, and to angle about in the water. The 
water was of some depth ; there was also much rubbish, stones 
from the top having fallen in. Several times his hook got en- 
tangled, and he came near breaking his line. Now and then, 
too, he hauled up mere trash, such as the skull of a horse, an 
iron hoop, and a shattered iron-bound bucket. He had now 
been several hours employed without finding anything to repay 
his trouble, or to encourage him to proceed. He began to 
think himself a great fool, to be thus decoyed into a wild-goose- 
chase by mere dreams, and was on the point of throwing line 
and all into the well, and giving up all further anghng. 



©olpf) l^eaHfler. 139 



" One more cast of the line," said he, " and that shall be 
the last." As he sounded, he felt the plummet slip, as it were 
through the interstices of loose stones ; and as he drew back 
the line, he felt that the hook had taken hold of something 
heavy. He had to manage his line with great caution, lest it 
should be broken by the strain upon it. By degrees the rubbirli 
which lay upon the article he had hooked gave way ; he drew 
it to the surface of the water, and what was his rapture at seeing 
something like silver glittering at the end of his line ! Almo. t 
breathless with anxiety, he drew it up to the mouth of the well, 
surprised at its great weight, and fearing every mstant that liis 
hook would slip from its hold, and his prize tumble again to 
the bottom. At length he landed it safe beside the well. It 
was a great silver porringer, of an ancient form, richly em- 
bossed, and with armorial bearings engraved on its side, simi- 
lar to' those over his mother's mantel-piece. The lid was fa.-- 
teried down by several twists of wire ; Dolph loosened them 
with a trembling hand, and, on lifting the lid, behold ! the vesetl 
was filled with broad golden pieces, of a coinage which he had 
never seen before. It was evident he had lit on the place 
where Killian Vander Spiegel had concealed his treasure. 

Fearful of being seen by some straggler, he cautiously re-, 
tired, and buried his pot of money in a secret place. He now 
spread terrible stories about the haunted house, and deterred 
every one from approaching it, while he made frequent visits to 
it in stormy days, when no one was stirring in the neighboring 
fields ; though, to tell the truth, he did not care to venture there 
in the dark. For once in his life he was diligent and indus- 
trious, and followed up his new trade of angling with such per- 
severance and success, that in a little while he had hooked up 
wealth enough to make him, in those moderate days, a rich 
burgher for life. 

It would be tedious to detail minutely the rest of this story. 
To tell how he gradually managed to bring his property into 
use without exciting surprise and inquiry — how he satisfied all 
scruples with regard to retaining the property, and at the same 



140 SI aSaok of tf)f ?^ulr8on. 



time gratified his own feelings, by marrying the pretty Marie 
Vander Heyden — and how he and Heer Antony had many a 
merry and roving expedition together. 

I must not omit to say, however, that Dolph took his mother 
home to live with him, and cherished her in her old days. The 
good dame, too, had the satisfaction of no longer hearing 
her son made the theme of censure ; on the contrary, he grew 
daily in public esteem; everybody spoke well of him and 
his wines ; and the lordliest burgomaster was never known to 
decline his invitation to dinner. Dolph often related, at his 
own table, the wicked pranks which had once been the abhor- 
rence of the town ; but they were now considered excellent 
jokes, and the gravest dignitary was fain to hold his sides when 
listening to them. No one was more struck with Dolph's in- 
creasing merit than his old master the doctor ; and so forgiv- 
ing was Dolph, that he absolutely employed the doctor as his 
family physician, only taking care that his prescriptions should 
be always thrown out of the window. His mother had often 
her junto of old cronies to take a snug cup of tea with her m 
her comfortable little parlor ; and Peter de Groodt, as he sat by 
the fireside, with one of her grandchildren on his knee, would 
many a time congratulate her upon her son turning out so great 
a man ; upon which the good old soul would wag her head 
with exultation, and exclaim, " Ah, neighbor, neighbor ! did I 
not say that Dolph would one day or other hold up his head 
with the best of them V 

Thus did Dolph Heyliger go on, cheerily and prosperously, 
growing merrier as he grew older and wiser, and completely 
falsifying the old proverb about money got over the devil's 
back ; for he made good use of his wealth, and became a dis- 
tinguished citizen, and a valuable member of the community. 
He was a great promoter of public institutions, such as beef- 
steak societies and catch-clubs. He presided at all public din- 
ners, and was the first that introduced turtle from the West 
Indies. He improved the breed of race-horses and game-cocks, 
and was so great a patron of modest merit, that any one who 



Solpf) %enUQex. 141 



could sing a good song, or tell a good story, was sure to find 
a place at his -table. 

He was a member, too, of the corporation, made several laws 
for the protection of game and oysters, and bequeathed to the 
board a large silver punch-bowl, made out of the identical por- 
ringer before mentioned, and which is in the possession of the 
corporation to this very day. 

Finally, he died, in a florid old age, of an apoplexy at a cor- 
poration feast, and was buried with great honors in the yard of 
the little Dutch church in Garden-street, where his tombstone 
may still be seen, with a modest epitaph in Dutch, by his friend 
Mynheer Justus Benson, an ancient and excellent poet of the 
province. 

The foregoing tale rests on better authority than most tales 
of the kind, as I have it at second hand from the lips of Dolph 
Heyliger himself. He never related it till towards the latter 
part of his life, and then in great confidence (for he was very 
discreet), to a few of his particular cronies at his own table, 
over a supernumerary bowl of punch ; and strange as the hob- 
goblin parts of the story may seem, there never was a single 
doubt expressed on the subject by any of his guests. It may 
not be -amiss, before concluding, to observe that, in addition to 
his other accomplishments, Dolph Heyliger was noted for being 
the ablest drawer of the long-bow in the whole province. 



143 ^ 33oo{t of tite f^utrson. 



RIP VAN WINKLE. 

By Woden, God of Saxons, 

From whence comes Wensday, that is Wodensday. 

Truth is a thing that ever I will keep 

Unto thylke day in which 1 creep into 

My sepulchre 

Cartwright. 

Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember 
the Kaatskill mountains. They are a dismembered branch of 
the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west 
of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over 
the surrounding country. Every change of season, every 
change of weather, indeed every hour of the day, produces 
some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, 
and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as 
perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, 
they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold 
outlines on the clear evening sky ; but sometimes, when the 
rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of 
grey vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the 
setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory. 

At the foot of these fairy mountains, the voyager may have 
descried the light smoke curling up from a village, whose 
shingle-roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tmts 
of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer 
landscape. It is a little village of great antiquity, having been 
founded by some of the Dutch colonists in the early times of 
tlio province, just about the beginning of the government of the 
good Peter Stuyvesant (may he rest in peace !), and there were 
some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a 
few years, built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland, 



Btp Fan Jimin'SlE. 143 



having latticed windows and gable fronts, sunnounted with 
weathercocks. 

In that same village, and in one of these very houses 
(which, to tell the precise truth, was sadly time-worn and 
weather-beaten), there lived many years since, while the 
country was yet a province of Great Britain, a simple, good- 
natured fellow, of the name of Rip Van Winkle. He was a 
descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the 
chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant, and accompanied him to 
the siege of Fort Christina. He inherited, however, but little 
of the martial character of his ancestors. I have observed that 
he was a simple, good-natured man ; he was, moreover, a kind 
neighbor, and an obedient, hen-pecked husband. Indeed, to 
the latter circumstance might be owing that meekness of spirit 
which gained him such universal popularity ; for those men are 
most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad, who are 
under the discipline of shrews at home. Their tempers, 
doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery*furnace 
of domestic tribulation, and a curtain lecture is worth all the 
sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and 
long-suffering. A termagant wife may, therefore, in some 
respects, be considered a tolerable blessing ; and if so. Rip Van 
Winkle was thrice blessed. 

Certain it is, that he was a great favorite among all the good 
wives of the village, who, as usual with. the amiable sex, took 
his part in all family squabbles ; and never failed, whenever 
they talked those matters over in their evening gossipings, to 
lay all the blame on Dame Van Winkle. The children of the 
village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached. 
He assisted at their sports, made their playthings, taught them 
to fly kites and shoot marbles, and told them long stories of 
ghosts, witches, and Indians. Whenever he went dodging 
about the village, he was surrounded by a tro6p of them, hang- 
ing on his skirts, clambering on his back, and playing a thousand 
tricks on him with impunity ; and not a dog would bark at him 
throughout the neighborhood. 



144 ^ 33ook of tfje f^utison. 



The great error in Rip's composition was an insuperable 
aversion to all kinds of profitable labor. It could not be from 
the want of assiduity or perseverance ; for he would sit on a 
wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance, 
and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not 
be encouraged by a single nibble. He would carry a fowling- 
piece on his shoulder for hours together, trudging through 
woods and swamps, and up hill and down dale, to shoot a few 
squirrels or wild pigeons. He would never refuse to assist a 
neighbor even in the roughest toil, and was a foremost man at 
all country frolics for husking Indian corn, or building stone- 
fences; the women of the village, too, used to employ him to 
run their errands, and to do such little odd jobs as their less 
obliging husbands would not do for them. In a word Rip was 
ready to attend to anybody's business but his own ; but as to 
doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, he found it 
impossible. 

In fact, he declared it was of no use to work on his farm ; it 
was the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole 
country ; everything about it went wrong, and would go 
wrong, in spite of him. His fences were continually falling to 
pieces ; his cow would either go astray, or get among the cab- 
bages ; weeds were sure to grow quicker in his fields than any- 
where else ; the rain always made a point of setting in just as 
he had some out-door work to do ; so that though his patrimo- 
nial estate had dwindled away under his management, acre by 
acre, until there was little more left than a mere patch of Indian 
corn and potatoes, yet it was the worst conditioned farm in the 
neighborhood. 

His children, too, were as ragged and wild as if they be- 
longed to nobody. His son Rip, an urchin begotten in his own 
likeness, promised to inherit the habits, with the old clothes of 
his father. He was generally seen trooping like a colt at his 
mother's heels, equipped in a pair of his father's cast-ofF galligas- 
kins, which he had much ado to hold up with one hand, as a fine 
lady does her train in bad weather. 



iaijj Fan £2IinkU. 145 



Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, 
of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat 
white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought 
or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for 
a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled life away 
in perfect contentment ; but his wife kept continually dinning 
in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he 
was biinging on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her 
tongue was incessantly going, and everythmg he said or did 
was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence. Rip 
had but one way of replying to all lectures of the kind, and 
that, by frequent use, had grown into a habit. He shrugged his 
shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothmg. 
This, however, always provoked a fresh volley from his wife ; 
so that he was fain to draw off his forces, and take to the out- 
side of the house — the only side which, in truth, belongs to a 
hen-pecked husband. 

Rip's sole domestic adherent was his dog Wolf, who was as 
much hen-pecked as his master ; for dame Van Winkle regard- 
ed them as companions in idleness, and even looked upon 
Wolf with an evil eye, as the cause of his master's going so 
often astray. True it is, in all points of spirit befitting an 
honorable dog, he was as courageous an animal as ever scoured 
the woods — but what courage can withstand the ever-during 
and all-besetting terrors of a woman's tongue 1 The moment 
Wolf entered the house his crest fell, his tail drooped to the 
ground or curled between his legs, he sneaked about with a 
gallows air, casting many a sidelong glance at Dame Van 
Winkle, and at the least flourish of a broomstick or ladle, he 
would fly to the door with yelping precipitation. 

Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years 
of matrimony rolled on ; a tart temper never mellows with age, 
and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener 
with constant use. For a long while he used to console him- 
self, when driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual 
club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle persona^jes of the 



146 3 Uoofe of ti)e %\ul3san. 



village ; which held its sessions on a bench before a small inn, 
designated by a rubicund portrait of His Majesty George the 
Third. Here they used to sit in the shade through a long lazy 
summer's day, talking listlessly over village gossip, or telling 
endless sleepy stories about nothing. But it would have been 
worth any statesman's money to have heard the profound dis- 
cussions that sometimes took place, when by chance an old 
newspaper fell into their hands from some passing traveller. 
How solemnly they would listen to the contents, as drawled 
out by Derrick Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, a dapper learned 
little man, who was not to be daunted by the most gigantic 
word in the dictionary ; and how sagely they would deliberate 
upon public events some months after they had taken place. 

The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by 
Nicholas Vedder, a patriarch of the village, and landlord of the 
inn, at the door of which he took his seat from morning till 
night, just moving sufficiently to avoid the sun and keep in the 
shade of a large tree ; so that the neighbors could tell the hour 
by his movements as accurately as by a sun-dial. It is true he 
was rarely heard to speak, but smoked his pipe incessantly. 
His adherents, however (for every great man has his adherents), 
perfectly understood him, and knew how to gather his opinions. 
When anything that was read or related displeased him, he 
was observed to smoke his pipe vehemently, and to send forth 
short, frequent, and angiy puffs ; but when pleased, he would 
inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly, and emit it in light and 
placid clouds ; and sometimes, taking the pipe from his mouth, 
and letting the fragrant vapor curl about his nose, would gravely 
nod his head in token of perfect approbation. 

From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip was at length 
routed by his termagant wife, who would suddenly break in 
upon the tranquillity of the assemblage and call the members 
all to naught ; nor was that august personage, Nicholas Vedder 
himself, sacred from the daring tongue of this terrible virago, 
who charged him outright with encouraging her husband in 
habits of idleness. 



aaip Fan tijaiiifelc. 147 



Poor Rip was at last reduced almost to despair ; and his only 
alternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his 
wife, was to take gim in hand and stroll away into the woods. 
Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and 
share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he 
sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution. " Poor Wolf,' 
he would say, " thy mistress leads thee a dog's life of it ; liut 
never mind, my lad, whilst I live thou shalt never want a iiiend 
to stand by thee!" Wolf would wag his tail, look wistfully in 
his master's face, and if dogs can feel pity, I verily believe he 
reciprocated the sentiment with all his heart. 

In a long ramble of the kind on a fine autumnal day. Rip 
had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of the 
Kaatbkill mountains. He was alter his favorite sport of squir- 
rel shooting, and the still solitudes had echoed and re-echoed 
with the reports of his gun. Panting and fatigued, he threw 
himself, late in the afternoon, on a green knoll, covered with 
mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of a precipice. From 
an opening between the trees he could overlook all the lower 
country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a dis- 
tance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its 
silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple 
cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping 
on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue 
highlands. 

On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain glen, 
wild, lonely, and shagged, the bottom filled with fragments 
from the impending cliffs, and scarcely lighted by the reflected 
rays of the setting sun. For some time Rip lay musing on 
this scene ; evening was gradually advancing ; the mountains 
began to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys ; he 
saw that it would be dark long before he could reach the vil- 
lage, and he heaved a heavy sigh when he thought of encoun- 
tering the terrors of Dame Van. Winkle. 

As he was about to descend, he heard a voice from a dis- 
tance, hallooing, " Rip Van Winkle ! Rip Van Winkle !" He 



148 ^ ISoofe of t\)e %\ut}s an. 



looked round, but could see nothing but a crow winging its 
solitary flight across the mountain. He thought his fancy 
must have deceived him, and turned again to descend, when he 
heard the same cry ring through the still evening air ; " Rip 
Van Winkle ! Rip Van Winkle !" — at the same time Wolf 
bristled up his back, and, giving a low growl, skulked to his 
mastei-'s side, looking fearfully down into the glen. Rip now 
felt a vague apprehension stealing over him ; he looked 
anxiously in the same direction, and perceived a strange ligm-e 
slowly toiling up the rocks, and bending under the weight ol' 
something he carried on his back. He was surprised to see any 
human being in this lonely and unfrequented place, but sup- 
posing it to be some one of the neighborhood in need of his 
assistance, he hastened down to jdeld it. 

On nearer approach he was still more surprised at the sin- 
gularity of the stranger's appearance. He was a short square 
built old fellow, with thick bushy hair, and a grizzled beard. 
His dress was of the antique Dutch fashion — a cloth jerkin 
strapped round the waist — several pair of breeches, the outer 
one of ample volume, decorated with rows of buttons down 
the sides, and bunches at the knees. He bore on his shoulder 
a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip 
to approach and assist him with the load. Though rather shy 
and distrustful of this new acquaintance. Rip complied with his 
usual alacrity, and mutually relieving each other, they clam- 
bered up a narrow gully, apparently the dry bed of a mountain 
torrent. As they ascended. Rip every now and then heard 
long rolling peals, like distant thunder, that seemed to issue out 
of a deep ravine, or rather cleft, between lofty rocks, towards 
which their rugged path conducted. He paused for an instant, 
but supposing it to be the muttering of one of those transient 
thunder-showers which often take place in mountain heights, 
he proceeded. Passing through the ravine, they came to a 
hollow, like a small amphitheatre, surrounded by perpendicular 
precipices, over the brinks of which impending trees shot their 
branches, so that you only caught glimpses of the azure sky 



3?. tp Fan (iminfelc. 149 

and the bright evening cloud. During the whole time Rip and 
his companion had labored on in silence, for though the former 
mai-velled greatly what <;ould be the object of carrying a keg 
of liquor up this wild mountain, yet there was something 
strange and incomprehensible about the unknown, that inspired 
awe and checked familiarity. 

On entering the amphitheatre, new objects of wonder pre- 
sented themselves. On a level spot in the centre was a com- 
pany of odd-looking personages playing at ninepins. They 
were dressed in a quaint outlandish fashion ; some wore short 
doublets, others jerkins, with long knives in their belts, and 
mo&t of them had enormous breeches, of similar style with 
that of the guide's. Their visages, too, were peculiar ; one 
had a large head, broad face, and small piggish eyes ; the face 
of another seemed to consist entirely of nose, and was sur- 
mounted by a white sugar-loaf hat, set off with a little red 
cock's tail. They all had beards, of various shapes and 
colors. There was one who seemed to be the commander. 
He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten coun- 
tenance ; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high 
crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, 
with roses in them. The whole group reminded Rip of the 
figures in an old Flemish painting, in the parlor of Dominie 
Van Shaick, the village parson, and which had been brought 
over from Holland at the time of the settlement. 

What seemed particularly odd to Rip was, that though 
these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they main- 
tained the gravest fiices, the most mysterious silence, and were, 
withal, the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever 
witnessed. Nothing interrupted the stillness of the scene but 
the noise of the balls, which, whenever they were rolled, 
echoed along the mountains like rumbling peals of thunder. 

As Rip and his companion approached them, they sudden- 
ly desisted from their play, and gazed at him with such fi.xed 
statue-like gaze, and such strange, uncouth, lack-lustre coun- 
tenances, that his heart turned within him, and his knees smote 



150 ^ Booft of tfK fjutiaon. 



together. His companion now emptied the contents of the keg 
into large flagons, and made signs to him to wait upon the 
company. He obeyed with fear and trembling ; they quaffed 
the liquor in profound silence, and then returned to their 
game. 

By degrees Rip's awe and apprehension subsided. He even 
ventured, when no eye was fixed upon him, to taste the beverage, 
which he found had much of the flavor of excellent Hollands. 
He was naturally a thirsty soul, and was soon tempted to re- 
peat the draught. One taste provoked another, and he re- 
iterated his visits to the flagon so often that at length his senses 
were overpowed, his eyes swam in his head, his head gradually 
declined, and he fell into a deep sleep. 

On waking, he found himself on the green knoll whence he 
had first seen the old man of the glen. He rubbed his eyes — 
it was a bright sunny morning. The birds were hopping and 
twittering among the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling aloft, 
and breasting the pure mountain breeze. •' Surely," thought 
Rip, " I have not slept here all night." He recalled the oc- 
currences before he fell asleep. The strange man with a keg 
of liquor — the mountain ravine — the wild retreat among the 
rocks — the wo-begone party at ninepins — the flagon — " Oh ! 
that flagon ! that wicked flagon !" thought Rip — ** what excuse 
shall I make to Dame Van Winkle 1" 

He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean well- 
oiled fowling-piece, he found an old firelock lying by him, the 
barrel incrusted with rust, the lock falling off", and the stock 
worm-eaten. He now suspected that the grave roisterers of the 
mountain had put a trick upon him, and, having dosed him 
with liquor, had robbed him of his gun. Wolf, too, had 
disappeared, but he might have strayed away after a squirrel or 
partridge. He whistled after him and shouted his name, but all 
in vain ; the echoes repeated his whistle and shout, but no dog 
was to be seen. 

He determined to revisit the scene of the last evening's 
gambol, and if he met with any of the party, to demand his 



Btp 17 an Wiinklt. 151 



dog and gun. As he rose to walk, he found hhnself etiff'in the 
joints, and wanting in his usual activity. " These mountain 
beds do not agree with n*e," thought Rip, " and if this frolic 
should lay ine up with a lit of the rheumatism, I shall have a 
blessed time with Dame Van Winkle." With some difficulty 
lie got down into the glen : he found the gully up which he and 
his companion had ascended the preceding evening ; but to his 
astonishment a mountain stream was now foaming down it, 
leaping from rock to rock, and filling the glen with babbling 
murmurs. He, however, made shift to scramble up its sides, 
working his toilsome way through thickets of birch, sassafras, 
and witch-hazel, and sometimes tripped up or entangled by the 
wild grapevines that twisted their coils or tendrils from tree to 
tree, and spread a kind of net- work in his path. 

At length he reached to where the ravine had opened 
through the cliffs to the amphitheatre ; but no traces of such 
opening remained. The rocks presented a high impenetrable 
wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of 
feathery foam, and fell into a broad deep basin, black from the 
shadows of the surrounding forest. Here, then, poor Rip was 
brought to a stand. He again called and whistled after his 
dog ; he was only answered by the cawing of a flock of idle 
crows, sporting high in air about a dry tree that overhung a 
sunny precipice ; and who, secure in their elevation, seemed to 
look down and scoff at the poor man's perplexities. What 
was to be done ? the morning was passing away, and Rip felt 
famished for want of his breakfast. He grieved to give up his 
dog and gun ; he dreaded to meet his wife ; but it would not do 
to starve among the mountains. He shook his head, shoulder- 
ed the rusty firelock, and, with a heart full of trouble and 
anxiety, turned his steps homeward. 

As he approached the village he met a number of people, but 
none whom he knew, which somewhat surprised him, for he 
hud thought himself acquainted with every one in the country 
round. Their dress, too, was of a different fashion from that 
to which he was accustomed. They all stared at him with 



152 ^ 33ooit of tfjel^uligon. 



equal marks of surprise, and whenever they cast their eyes upon 
him, invariably stroked their chins. The constant recurrence 
of this gesture induced Rip, involiJntarily, to do the same, 
when, to his astonishment, he found his beard had grown a foot 
long! 

He had now entered the skirts of the village. A troop of 
strange children ran at his heels, hooting after him, and point- 
ing at his greybeard. The dogs, too, not one of which he 
recognised for an old acquaintance, barked at him as he passed. 
The very village was altered ; it was larger and more populous. 
There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, 
and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared. 
Strange names were over the doors — strange faces at the 
windows — everything was strange. His mind now misgave 
him ; he began to doubt whether both he and the world around 
him were not bewitched. Surely this was his native village, 
which he had left but the day before. There stood the Kaat- 
skill mountains — there ran the silver Hudson at a distance — 
there was every hill and dale precisely as it had always been — 
Rip was sorely perplexed — ^" That flagon last night," thought 
he, " has addled my poor head sadly !" 

It was with some difficulty that he found his way to his own 
house, which he approached with silent awe, expecting every 
moment to hear the shrill voice of Dame Van Winkle. He 
found the house gone to decay — the roof fallen in, the win- 
dows shattered, and the doors oflT the hinges. A half-starved 
dog that looked like Wolf was skulking about it. Rip called 
him by name, but the cur snarled, showed his teeth, and passed 
on. This was an unkind cut indeed — " My very dog," sighed 
poor Rip, " has forgotten me !" 

He entered the house, which, to tell the truth. Dame Van 
Winkle had always kept in neat order. It was empty, forlorn, 
and apparently abandoned. This desolateness overcame all his 
connubial fears — he called loudly for his wife and children — 
the lonely chambers rang for a moment with his voice, and 
then all again was silence. 



aftip Fan WLinhlt. 153 



He now hurried forth, and hastened to his old resort, the 
village inn — but it too was gone. A large rickety wooden 
building stood in its place, with great gaping windows, some 
of them broken and mended with old hats and petticoats, and 
over the door was painted, " The Union Hotel, by Jonathan 
Doolittle." Instead of the great tree that used to shelter the 
quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was reared a tall 
naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red 
night-cap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a 
singular assemblage of stars and stripes — all this was strange 
and incomprehensible. He recognised on the sign, however, 
the ruby face of King George, under which he had smoked so 
many a peaceful pipe ; but even this was singularly metamor- 
phosed. The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff, 
a sword was held in the hand instead of a sceptre, the head 
was decorated with a cocked hat, and underneath was painted 
in large characters. General Washington. 

There was, as usual, a crowd of folk about the door, but 
none that Rip recollected. The very character of the people 
seemed changed. There was a busy, bustling, disputatious tone 
about it, instead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tran- 
quillity. He looked in vain for the sage Nicholas Vedder, with 
his broad face, double chin, and fair long pipe, uttering clouds 
of tobacco-smoke instead of idle speeches, or Van Bummel, 
the schoolmaster, doling forth the contents of an ancient news- 
paper. In place of these, a lean, bilious-looking fellow, with 
his pockets full of handbills, was haranguing vehemently 
about rights of citizens — elections — ^members of congress — 
liberty — Bunker's Hill — heroes of seventy-six — and other 
words, which were a perfect Babylonish jargon to the bewil- 
dered Van Winkle. 

The appearance of Rip, with his long grizzled beard, his 
rufty fowling-piece, his uncouth dress, and an army of women 
and children at his heels, soon attracted the attention of the 
tavern politicians. They crowded round him, eyeing him from 
head to foot with great curiosity. The orator bustled up to 



154 ^ !3oo{t oftfje l^uUgon, 



him, and, drawing him partly aside, inquired " on which side 
he voted V Rip stared in vacant stupidity. Another short 
but busy httle fellow pulled him by the arm, and, rising on tip- 
toe, inquired in his ear, *' Whether he was Federal or Demo- 
crat V Rip was equally at a loss to comprehend the question, 
when a knowing, self-important old gentleman, in a sharp 
cocked hat, made his way through the crowd, putting them to 
right and left with his elbows as he passed, aud planting him- 
self before Van Winkle, with one arm a-kimbo, the other 
resting on his cane, his keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating, as 
it were, into his very soul, demanded in an austere tone, 
" what brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder, 
and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to breed a riot 
in the village V " Alas ! gentlemen," cried Rip, somewhat 
dismayed, " I am a poor, quiet man, a native of the place, and 
a loyal subject of the king, God bless him !" 

Here a general shout burst from the bystanders — " A tory ! 
a tory ! a spy ! a refugee ! hustle him ! away with him !" It 
was with great difficulty that the self-important man in the 
cocked hat restored order ; and, having assumed a tenfold 
austerity of brow, demanded again of the unknown culprit, 
what he came there for, and whom he was seeking ? The 
poor man humbly assured him that he meant no harm, but 
merely came there in search of some of his neighbors, who 
used to keep about the tavern. 

" Well — who are they ? — name them." 

Rip bethought himself a moment, and inquired, " Where's 
Nicholas Vedder?" 

There was a silence for a little while, when an old man 
replied, in a thin piping voice, " Nicholas Vedder ! why, he is 
dead and gone these eighteen years ! There was a wooden 
tombstone in the church-yard that used to tell all about him, 
but that's rotten and gone too." 

" Where's Brom Dutcherl" 

" Oh, he went off to the army in the beginning of the war ; 
some say he was killed at the storming of Stony Point — others 



Jitp Fan aminfelc. 155 



say he was drowned in a squall at the foot of Antony's Nose. 
I don't know — he never came back again." 

" Where's Van Bummel, the schoolmaster V 

" He went off to the wars too, was a great militia general, 
and is now in congress." 

Rip's heart died away at hearing of these sad changes in his 
home and friends, and finding himself thus alone in the world. 
Every answer puzzled him too, by treating of such enormous 
lapses of time, and of matters which he could not understand ; 
war — congress — Stony Point ; — he had no courage to ask after 
any more friends, but cried out in despair, " Does nobody here 
know Rip Van Winkle ?" 

" Oh, Rip Van Winkle !" exclaimed two or three, " Oh, to 
be sure ! that's Rip Van Winkle yonder, leaning against the 
tree." 

Rip looked, and beheld a precise counterpart of himself, as 
he went up the mountain : apparently as lazy, and certainly as 
ragged. The poor fellow was now completely confounded. 
He doubted his own identity, and whether he was himself or 
another man. In the midst of his bewilderment, the man in 
the cocked hat demanded who he was, and what was his 
name ? 

" God knows," exclaimed he, at his wits' end ; " I'm not 
myself — I'm somebody else — that's me yonder — no that's 
somebody else got into my shoes — I was myself last night, but 
I fell asleep on the mountain, and they've changed my gun, 
and everything's changed, and I'm changed, and I can't tell 
what's my name, or who I am !" 

The bystanders began now to look at each other, nod, wink 
significantly, and tap their fingers against their foreheads. 
There was a whisper, also, about securing the gun, and keeping 
the old fellow from doing mischief, at the very suggestion of 
which the self-important man in the cocked hat retired with 
some precipitation. At this critical moment a fresh comely 
woman pressed through the throng to get a peep at the grey- 
bearded man. She had a chubby child in her arms, which. 



i.56 a Booit of tf)c %utsson. 



frightened at his looks, began to cry. " Hush, Rip," cried she, 
" hush, you little fool ; the old man won't hurt you." The 
name of the child, the air of the mother, the tone of her voice, 
all awakened a train of recollections in his mind. " What is 
your name, my good woman 1" asked he. 

" Judith Gardenier." 

" And your father's name V 

" Ah, poor man. Rip Van Winkle was his name, but it's 
twenty years since he went away from home with his gun, and 
never has been heard of since — his dog came home without 
him, but whether he shot himself, or was carried away by the 
Indians, nobody can tell. I was then but a little girl." 

Rip had but one question more to ask ; but he put it with a 
faltering voice : 

" Where's your mother ?" 

" Oh, she too had died but a short time since ; she broke a 
blood-vessel in a fit of passion at a New England pedler." 

There was a drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence. 
The honest man could contain himself no longer. He caught 
his daughter and her child in his arms. " I am your father !" 
cried he — " Young Rip Van Winkle once — old Rip Van Win- 
kle now ! — Does nobody know poor Rip Van Winkle V 

All stood amazed, until an old woman, tottering out from 
among the crowd, put her hand to her brow, and peering under 
it in his face for a moment, exclaimed, " Sure enough ! it is 
Rip Van Winkle — ^it is himself! Welcome home again, 
old neighbor — Why, where have you been these twenty long 
years 1" 

Rip's story was soon told, for the whole twenty years had 
been to him but as one night. The neighbors stared when 
they heard it ; some were seen to wink at each other, and put 
their tongues in their cheeks : and the self-important man in 
the cocked hat, who, when the alarm was over, had returned 
to the field, screwed down the comers of his mouth, and shook 
his head — upon which there was a general shaking throughout 
the assemblage. 



mtp Fan Jimtniilf. 157 



It was determined, however, to take the opinion of old Peter 
Vanderdonk, who was seen slowly advancing up the road. 
He was a descendant of the historian of that name, who wrote 
one of the earliest accounts of the province. Peter was the 
most ancient inhabitant of the village, and well versed in all 
the wonderful events and traditions of the neighborhood. He 
recollected Rip at once, and corroborated his story m the most 
satisfactory manner. He assured the company that it was a 
fact, handed down from his ancestor the historian, that the 
Kaatskill mountains had always been haunted by strange 
beingo. That it was affirmed that the great Hendrick Hudson, 
the first discoverer of the river and country, kept a kind of vigil 
there every twenty years, with his crew of the Half- Moon ; 
being permitted in this way to revisit the scenes of his enterprise, 
and keep a guardian eye upon the river, and the great city 
called by his name. That his father had once seen them in 
their old Dutch dresses playing at ninepins in a hollow of the 
mountain ; and that he himself had heard, one summer after- 
noon, the sound of their balls, like distant peals of thunder. 

To make a long story short, the company broke up, and re- 
turned to the more important concerns of the election. Rip's 
daughter took him home to live with her ; she had a snug, well- 
furnished house, and a stout cheery farmer for a husband, whom 
Rip recollected for one of the urchins that used to climb upon 
his back. As to Rip's son and heir, who was the ditto of him- 
self, seen leaning against the tree, he was employed to work on 
the farm ; but evinced an hereditary disposition to attend to 
anything else but his business. 

Rip now resumed his old walks and habits ; he soon found 
many of his former cronies, though all rather the worse for the 
wear and tear of time ; and preferred making friends among the 
rising generation, with whom he soon grew into great favor. 

Having nothing to do at home, and being arrived at that 
happy age when a man can be idle with impunity, he took his 
place once more on the bench at the inn door, and was reve- 
renced as one of the patriarchs of the village, and a chronicle 



158 a 33ooJt of tft£ ?ilulison. 



of the old times " before the war." It was some time before 
he could get into the regular track of gossip, or could be made 
to comprehend the strange events that had taken place during 
his toipor. How that there had been a revolutionary war — 
that the country had thrown off the yoke of old England — and 
that, instead of being a subject of his Majesty George the Third, 
he was now a free citizen of the United States. Rip, in fact, 
was no politician ; the changes of states and empires made but 
little impression on him ; but there was one species of despotism 
under which he had long groaned, and that was — petticoat 
government. Happily that was at an end ; he had got his neck 
out of the yoke of matrimony, and could go in and out when- 
ever he pleased, without dreading the tyranny of Dame Van 
Winkle. Whenever her name was mentioned, however, he 
shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and cast up his eyes ; 
which might pass either for an expression of resignation to his 
fate, or joy at his deliverance. 

He used to tell his story to every stranger that arrived at Mr. 
Doolittle's hotel. He was observed, at first, to vary on some 
points every time he told it, which was, doubtless, owing to his 
having so recently awaked. It at last settled down precisely 
to the tale I have related, and not a man, woman, or child in 
the neighborhood, but knew it by heart. Some always pre- 
tended to doubt the reality of it, and insisted that Rip had been 
out of his head, and that this was one point on which he always 
remained flighty. The old Dutch inhabitants, however, almost 
universally gave it full credit. Even to this day they never 
hear a thunder-storm of a summer afternoon about the Kaats- 
kills, but they say Hendrick Hudson and his crew are at their 
game of ninepins ; and it is a common wish of all henpecked 
husbands in the neighborhood, when life hangs heavy on their 
hands, that they might have a quieting draught out of Rip Van 
Winkle's flagon. 



jaip Fan Wiinhle. 159 



NOTE. 

The foregoing Tale, one would suspect, had been suggested to Mr. 
Knickerbocker by a little German superstition about the Emperor 
Frederick der Rothbart, and the Khypphaiiser mountain ; the subjoined 
note, however, which he had appended to the tale, shows that it is an 
absolute fact, narrated with his usual fidelity. 

"The story of Rip Van Winkle may seem incredible to many, but 
nevertheless I give it my full belief, for I know the vicinity of our old 
Dutch settlements to have been very subject to marvellous events and 
appearances. Indeed, I have heard many stranger stories than this, in 
the villages along the Hudson, all of which were too well authenticated 
to admit of a doubt. I have even talked with Rip Van Winkle myself, 
\vho, when last I saw him, was a very venerable old man, and so |)ertectly 
rational and consistent on every other point, that [ think no conscientious 
person could refuse to take this into the bargain ; nay, 1 have seen a 
certificate on the subject taken before a country justice, and signed with 
a cross, in the justice's own handwriting. The story, therefore, is be- 
yond the possibility of doubt. 

D. K." 

POSTSCRIPT. 

The following are travelling notes from a memoranduni-book of Mr. 
Knickerbocker: 

The Kaatsberg or Catskill Mountains have always been a region full 
of f ible. The Indians considered them the abode of spirits, who in- 
fluenced the weather, spreading sunshine or clouds over the landscape, 
and sending good or bad hunting seasons. They were ruled by an old 
squaw spirit, said to be their mother. She dwelt on the highest peak of 
the Catskills, and had cliarge of the doors of day and night, to open and 
shut them at the proper hour. She hung up the new moons in the 
skies, and cut up the old ones into stars. In times of drought, if pro- 
perly propitiated, she would spin light summer clouds out of cobwebs 
ami morning dew, and send them off from the crest of the mountain, 
II ike after fi ike, like flakes of carded cotton, to float in the air, until, 
dissolved by the heat of the sun, they would fall in gentle showers, 
causing the grass to spring, the fruits to ripen, and the corn to grow an 
inch an hour. If displeased, however, she would brew up clouds bluck 
as ink, sitting in the midst of them like a bottle-bellied spider in the 
midst of its web, and when these clouds broke, woe betide the valleys. 

In old times, say the Indian traditions, there was a kind of Manitou or 



160 a JSooft of tf)e ?^uii«on. 



Spirit, who liept about the wildest recesses of the Catslcill Mountains, 
and took a mischievous pleasure in wrealiing all kinds of evils and 
vexations upon the red men. Sometimes he would assume the form of 
a bear, a p;inther, or a deer, lead the bewildered hunter a weary chase 
through tangled forests and among ragged rocks, and then spring off with 
a loud ho ! ho ! leaving him aghast on the brink of a beetling precipice 
or raging torrent. 

The fivorite abode of this Manitou is still shown. It is a great rock 
or clifl' on the loneliest part of the mountains, and, from the flowering 
vines which clamber about it, and the wild flowers which abound in its 
neighborhood, is known by the name of the Garden Rock. Near the foot 
of it is a small lake, the haunt of the solitary bittern, with water snakes 
basking in the sun on the leaves of the pond-lilies which lie on the sur- 
face. This place was held in great awe by the Indians, insomuch that 
the boldest hunter would not pursue his game within its precincts. 
Once upon a time, however, a hunter who had lost his way, penetrated 
to the garden rock, where he beheld a number of gourds placed in the 
crotches of trees. One of these lie seized and made off with it, but in 
the hurry of his retreat, he let it fall among the rocks, when a great 
stream gushed forth, which washed him away, and swept him down 
precipices, where he was dashed to pieces, and the stream made its way 
to the Hudson, and continues to flow to the present day, being the iden- 
tical stream known by the name of the Kaaters-kill. 



OEolfert OBLcbbcr. 161 



WOLFERT WEBBER, OR GOLDEN 
DREAMS. 

In the year of grace one thousand seven hundred and — blank 
— for I do not remember the precise date ; however, it was 
somewhere in the early part of the last century, there lived in 
the ancient city of the Manhattoes a worthy burgher, Wolfert 
Webber by name. He was descended from old Cobus Webber 
of the Brille in Holland, one of the original settlers, famous for 
introducing the cultivation of cabbages, and who came over to 
the province during the protectorship of Oloffe Van Kortlandt, 
otherwise called the Dreamer. 

The field in which Cobus Webber first planted himself and 
his cabbages had remained ever since in the family, who con- 
tinued in the same line of husbandry, with that praiseworthy 
perseverance for which our Dutch burghers are noted. The 
whole family genius, during several generations, was devoted 
to the study and development of this one noble vegetable ; and 
to this concentration of intellect may doubtless be ascribed the 
prodigious renown to which the Webber cabbages attained. 

The Webber dynasty continued in uninterrupted succession ; 
and never did a line give more unquestionable proofs of legiti- 
macy. The eldest son succeeded to the looks, as well as the 
territory of his sire ; and had the portraits of this line of tranquil 
potentates been taken, they would have presented a row of 
heads marvellously resembling in shape and magnitude the 
vegetables over which they reigned. 

The seat of government continued unchanged in the family 
mansion : — a Dutch-built house, with a front, or rather gable- 
end of yellow brick, tapering to a point, with the customary 
iron weathercock at the top. Everything about the building 
bore the air of long-settled ease and security. Flights of mar- 
tins peopled the little coops nailed against its walls, and swaj- 



lows built their nests under the eaves ; and every one knows 
that these house-loving birds bring good luck to the dwelling 
where they take up their abode. In a bright sunny morning in 
early summer, it was delectable to hear their cheerful notes, as 
they sported about in the pure sweet air, chirping forth, as it 
were, the greatness and prosperity of the Webbers. 

Thus quietly and comfortably did this excellent family vege- 
tate under the shade of a mighty button-wood tree, which by 
little and little grew so great as entirely to overshadow their 
palace. The city gi-adually spread its suburbs round their 
domain. Houses sprang up to interrupt their prospects. The 
rural lanes in the vicinity began to grow into the bustle and 
populousness of streets ; in short, with all the habits of rustic 
life, they began to find themselves the inhabitants of a city. 
Still, however, they maintained their hereditary character and 
hereditary possessions, with all the tenacity of petty German 
prmces in the mid^t of the empire. Wolfe t was the last of the 
line, and succeeded to the patriarchal bench at the door, under 
the family tree, and swayed the sceptre of his fathers, a kind of 
rural potentate in the midst of a metropolis. 

To share the cares and sweets of sovereignty, he had taken 
unto himself a helpmate, one of that excellent kind, called stir- 
ring women ; that is to say, she was one of those notable little 
housewives who are always busy when there is nothing to do. 
Her activity, however, took one particular direction ; her whole 
life seemed devoted to intense knitting ; whether at home or 
abroad, walking or sitting, her needles were continually in mo- 
tion, and it is even affirmed that by her unwearied industry she 
very nearly supplied her household with stockings throughout 
the year. This worthy couple were blessed with one daughter, 
who was brought up with great tenderness and care ; uncom- 
mon pains had been taken with her education so that she could ' 
stitch in every variety of way, make all kinds of pickles and 
preserves, and mark her own name on a sampler. The influ- 
ence of her taste was seen also in the family garden, where the 
ornamental began to mingle with the useful ; whole rows ol 



Wioltext Wiebhtx. 163 



fiery marigolds and splendid hollyhocks bordered the cabbage 
beds; and gigantic sunflowers lolled their broad jolly faces over 
the fences, seeming to ogle most affectionately the passers-by. 

Thus reigned and vegetated Wolfert Webber over his pater- 
nal acres, peacefully and contentedly. Not but that, like all 
other sovereigns, he had his occasional cares and vexations. 
The growth of his native city sometimes caused him annoy- 
ance. His little territory gradually became hemmed in by 
streets and houses, which intercepted air and sunshine. He 
was now and then subjected to the irruptions of the border 
population that infest the streets of a metropolis ; who would 
make midnight forays into his dominions, and carry off captive 
whole platoons of his noblest subjects. Vagrant swine would 
make a descent, too, now and then, when the gate was left 
open, and lay all waste before them ; and mischievous urchins 
would decapitate the illustrious sunflowers, the glory of the 
garden, as they lolled their heads so fondly over the walls. 
Still all these were petty grievances, which might now and then 
rufRe the surface of his mind, as a summer breeze will raffle the 
surface of a mill-pond ; but they could not disturb the deep- 
seated quiet of his soul. He would but seize a trusty staff, that 
stood behind the door, issue suddenly out, anoint the back of 
the aggressor, whether pig or urchin, and then return within 
doors, marvellously refreshed and tranquillized. 

The chief cause of anxiety to honest Wolfert, however, was 
the growing prosperity of the city. The expenses of living 
doubled and trebled, but he could not double and treble the 
magnitude of his cabbages ; and the number of competitors pre- 
vented the increase of price ; thus, therefore, while every one 
around him grew richer, Wolfert grew poorer, and he could 
not, for the life of him, perceive how the evil was to be reme- 
died. 

This growing care, which increased from day to day, had its 
gradual eftect upon our worthy burgher ; insomuch, that it at 
length implanted two or three wrinkles in his brow, things un- 
known before in the family of the Webbers ; and it seemed to 



164 ^ 33ook of tfje ^tjutigon. 



pinch up the comers of his cocked hat into an expression of 
anxiety, totally opposite to the tranquil, broad-brimmed, low- 
crowned beavers of his illustrious progenitors. 

Perhaps even this would not have materially disturbed the 
serenity of his mind, had he had only himself and his wife to 
care for ; but there was his daughter gradually growing to ma- 
turity ; and all the world knows that when daughters begin to 
ripen no fruit nor flower requires so much looking after. I 
have no talent at describing female charms, else fain would I 
depict the progress of this little Dutch beauty. How her blue 
eyes grew deeper and deeper, and her cherry lips redder and 
redder ; and how she ripened and ripened, and rounded and 
rounded in the opening breath of sixteen summers, until, m her 
seventeenth spring, she seemed ready to burst out of her bodice, 
like a half blown rose-bud. 

Ah, well-a-day ! could I but show her as she was then, 
tricked out on a Sunday morning, in the hereditary finery of 
the old Dutch clothes-press, of which her mother had confided 
to her the key. The wedding-dress of her grandmother, 
modernized for use, with sundry ornaments, handed down as 
heirlooms in the family. Her pale brown hair smoothed with 
buttermilk in flat waving lines on each side of her fair fore- 
head. The chain of yellow virgin gold, that encircled her 
neck ; the little cross, that just rested at the entrance of a soft 
valley of happiness, as if it would sanctify the place. The — 
but, pooh ! — it is not for an old man like me to be prosing 
about female beauty ; suffice it to say. Amy had attained her 
seventeenth year. Long since had her sampler exhibited hearts 
in couples desperately transfixed with arrows, and true lovers' 
knots worked in deep-blue silk ; and it was evident she began 
to languish for some more interesting occupation than rearing 
of sunflowers or pickling of cucumbers. 

At this critical period of female existence, when the heart 
within a damsel's bosom, like its emblem, the miniature which 
hangs without, is apt to be engrossed by a single image, a new 
visitor began to make his appearance under the roof of Wolfert 



Hert Smcbber. 165 



Webber. This was Dirk Waldron, the only son of a poor 
widow, but who could boast of more fathers than any lad in 
the province ; for his mother had had four husbands, and this 
only child, so that though born in her last wedlock, he might 
fairly claim to be the tardy fruit of a long course of cultivation. 
This son of four fathers united the merits and the vigor of all his 
sires. If he had not a great family before him, he seemed 
likely to have a great one after him ; for you had only to look 
at the fresh bucksome youth, to see that he was formed to be 
the founder of a mighty race. 

This youngster gradually became an intimate visitor of the 
family. He talked little, but he sat long. He filled the 
fathers pipe when it was empty, gathered up the mother's 
knitting-needle or ball of worsted when it fell to the ground ; 
stroked the sleek coat of the tortoise-shell cat, and replenished 
the teapot for the daughter from the bright copper kettle that 
sang before the fire. All these quiet little offices may seem of 
trifling import ; but when true love is translated into Low 
Dutch, it is in this way that it eloquently expresses itself. 
They were not lost upon the Webber" family. The winning 
youngster found marvellous favor in the eyes of the mother ; 
the tortoise-shell cat, albeit the most staid and demure of her 
kind, gave indubitable signs of approbation of his visits ; the 
teakettle seemed to sing out a cheering note of welcome at his 
approach ; and if the sly glances of the daughter might be 
rightly read, as she sat bridling and dimpling, and sewing by 
her mother's side, she was not a whit behind Dame Webber, or 
grimalkin, or the teakettle, in good will. 

Wolfert alone saw nothing of what was going on. Pro- 
foundly wrapt up in meditation on the growth of the city and 
his cabbages, he sat looking in the fire, and puffing his pipe in 
silence. One night, however, as the gentle Amy, according to 
custom, lighted her lover to the outer door, and he, according 
to custom, took his parting salute, the smack resounded so 
vigorously through the long, silent entry, as to startle even the 
dull ear of Wolfert. He was slowly roused to a new source 



166 ^ J3oo{i of tf)e %\\iXi'. 



of anxiety. It had never entered into his head that this mere 
child, who, as it seemed, but the other day had been climbing 
about his knees, and playing with dolls and baby-houses, could 
all at once be thinking of lovers and matrimony. He rubbed 
his eyes, examined into the fact, and really found that while he 
had been dreaming of other matters, she had actually grown to 
be a woman, and what was worse, had fallen in love. Here 
arose new cares for Wolfert. He was a kind father, but he 
was a prudent man. The young man was a lively, stirring 
lad ; but then he had neither money nor land. Wolfert's ideas 
all ran in one channel ; and he saw no alternative in case of a 
marriage, but to portion off the young couple with a corner of 
his cabbage garden, the whole of which was barely sufficient 
for the support of his family. 

Like a prudent father, therefore, he determined to nip this 
passion in the bud, and forbade the youngster the house ; 
though sorely did it go against his fatherly heart, and many a 
silent tear did it cause in the bright eye of his daughter. She 
showed herself, however, a pattern of filial piety and obedience. 
She never pouted and sulked ; she never flew in the face of 
parental authority ; she never flew into a passion, nor fell into 
hysterics, as many romantic, novel-read young ladies do. Not 
she, indeed ! She was none such heroical rebellious trumpery, 
I'll warrant ye. On the contrary, she acquiesced like an 
obedient daughter, shut the street door in her lover's face, and 
if ever she did grant him an interview, it was either out of 
the kitchen window, or over the garden fence. 

Wolfert was deeply cogitating these matters in his mind, and 
his brow wrinkled with unusual care, as he wended his way 
one Saturday afternoon to a rural inn, about two miles from 
the city. It was a favorite resort of the Dutch part of the 
community, from being always held by a Dutch line of land- 
lords, and retaining an air and relish of the good old time.?. 
It was a Dutch-built house, that had probably been a country- 
seat of some opulent burgher in the early times of the fettle- 
ment. It stood near a point of land called Corlear's Hook, 



Smolfcrt SliJUcbbfr. 167 



which stretches out into the Sound, and against which the tide, 
at its flux and reflux, sets with extraordinary rapidity. Tho 
venerable and somewhat crazy mansion was distinguished from 
afar, by a grove of elms and sycamores, that seemed to wave a 
hospitable invitation ; while a few weeping-willows, with their 
dank, drooping foliage, resembling fallen waters, gave an idea 
of coolness, that rendered it an attractive spot, during the heats 
of summer. 

Here, therefore, as I said, resorted many of the old in- 
Juibitants of the Manhatioes, where, while some played at 
shuffle-board, and quoits, and ninepins, others smoked a de- 
liberate pipe, and talked over public affliirs. 

It was on a blustering autumnal afternoon that Wolfertmade 
his visit to the inn. The grove of elms and willows was strip- 
ped ol" its leaves, which whirled in mstling eddies about the 
fields. The ninepin alley was deserted, for the premature 
chilliness of the day had driven the company within doors. 
As it was Saturday afternoon, the habitual club was in session, 
composed principally of regular Dutch burghers, though min- 
gled occasionally with persons of various character and coun- 
try, as is natural in a place of such motley population. 

Beside the fireplace, in a huge, leather-bottomed arm-chair, 
Bat the dictator of this little world, the venerable Rem, or as it 
was pronounced Ramm Rapelye. He was a man of Walloon 
race, and illustrious for the antiquity of his line ; his great- 
grandmother having been the first white child born in the pro- 
vince. But he was still more illustrious for his wealth and 
dignity ; he had long filled the noble office of alderman, and 
was a man to whom the governor himself took off" his hat. 
lie had maintained possession of the leather-bottomed chair 
from time immemorial, and had gradually waxed in bulk as he 
sat in his seat of government, until in the course of years he 
filled its whole magnitude. His word was decisive with his 
subjects ; for he was so rich a man, that he was never expected to 
support any opinion by argument. The landlord waited on 
him with peculiar officiousness ; not that he paid better than 



168 ^ aSook of tfje fllutiso 



his neighbors, but then the coin of a rich man seems always to 
be so much more acceptable. The landlord had ever a 
pleasant word and a joke, to insinuate in the ear of the august 
Ramm. It is true, Ramm never laughed, and, indeed, ever 
maintained a mastiff-like gravity, and even surliness of aspect, 
yet he now and then rewarded mine host with a token of ap- 
probation, which though nothing more nor less than a kind of 
grunt, still delighted the landlord more than a broad laugh 
from a poorer man. 

" This will be a rough night for the money diggers," said 
mine host, as a gust of wind howled round the house, and rat- 
tled at the windows. 

<* What ! are they at their works again V said an English 
half-pay captain, with one eye, who was a very frequent at- 
tendant at the inn. 

" Aye, are they," said the landlord, " and well may they be. 
They've had luck of late. They say a great pot of money 
has been dug up in the fields, just behind Stuyvesant's orchard. 
Folks think it must have been buried there in old times, by 
Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor." 

•' Fudge !" said the one-eyed man of war, as he added a 
small portion of water to a bottom of brandy. 

" Well, you may believe it, or not, as you please," said mine 
host, somewhat nettled, " but everybody knows that the old 
governor buried a large deal of his money at the time of the 
Dutch troubles, when the English redcoats seized on the pro- 
vince. They say, too, the old gentleman walks, aye, and in 
the very same dress that he wears in the picture that hangs up 
in the family house." 

" Fudge !" said the half-pay officer. 

" Fudge, if you please ! — But didn't Corney Van Zandt see 
him at midnight, stalking about in the meadow with his wooden 
leg, and a drawn sword in his hand, that flashed like fire 1 And 
what can he be walking for, but because people have been 
troubling the place where he buried his money in old times?" 

Here the landlord was interrupted by several guttural 



WioUcxt Withitx. 169 



sounds from Ramm Rapelye, betokening that he was labonng 
with the unusual production of an idea. As he was too great 
a man to be slighted by a prudent publican, mine host respect- 
fully paused until he should deliver himself. The corpulent 
frame of this mighty burgher now gave all the symptoms of a 
volcanic mountain on the point of an eruption. First, there 
was a certain heaving of the abdomen, not unlike an earth- 
quake ; then was emitted a cloud of tobacco-smoke from that 
crater, his mouth ; then there was a kind of rattle in the throat, 
as if the idea were working its way up through a region of 
phlegm ; then there were several disjointed members of a sen- 
tence thrown out, ending in a cough ; at length his voice forced 
its way in the slow, but absolute tone of a man who feels the 
weight of his pursre, if not of his ideas ; every portion of his 
speech being marked by a testy pufF of tobacco-smoke. 

" Who talks of old Peter Stuyvesant's walking ? — puff- 
Have people no respect for persons? — puff— puff— Peter 
Stuyvesant knew better what to do with his money than to bury 
it — puff — I know the Stuyvesant family — puff — every one of 
them — puff^not a more respectable family in the province — 
puff — old standards — puff — warm householders — puff — none of 
your upstarts — puff — puff — puff. — Don't talk to me of Peter 
Stuyvesant's walking — puff — puff — puff — puff." 

Here the redoubtable Ramm contracted his brow, clasped up 
his mouth, till it wrinkled at each corner, and redoubled hi-i) 
smoking, with such vehemence that the cloudy volumes soon 
wreathed round his head, as the smoke envelopes the awful 
summit of Mount Etna. 

A general silence followed the sudden rebuke of this very 
rich man. The subject, however, was too interesting to bo 
readily abandoned. The conversation soon broke forth again 
from the lips of Peechy Prauw Van Hook, the chronicler of 
the club, one of those prosing, narrative old men, who seem to 
be troubled with an incontinence of words, as they grow old. 

Peechy could, at any time, tell as many stories in an even- 
ing as his hearers could digest in a month. He now resumed 



170 ® J3ook of tfjc ?§ulison, 



the conversation, by affirming that, to his knowledge, money 
had at different times been digged up in various parts of the 
island. The lucky persons who had discovered them had 
always dreamt of them three times beforehand, and what was 
worthy of remark, those treasures had never been found but by 
some descendant of the good old Dutch families, which clear- 
ly proved that they had been buried by Dutchmen in the olden 
time. 

" Fiddlestick with your Dutchmen !" cried the half-pay 
officer. " The Dutch had nothing to do with them. They 
were all buried by Kidd the pirate, and his crew." 

Here a key-note was touched that roused the whole com- 
pany. The name of Captain Kidd was like a talisman in those 
times, and was associated with a thousand marvellous stories. 

The half-pay officer took the lead, and in his narrations 
fathered upon Kidd all the plunderings and exploits of Morgan, 
Blackboard, and the whole list of bloody buccaneers. 

The officer was a man of great weight among the peaceable 
members of the club, by reason of his warlike character and 
gunpowder tales. All his golden stories of Kidd, however, 
and of the booty he had buried, were obstinately rivalled by 
the tales of Peechy Prauw, who, rather than suffer his Dutch 
progenitors to be eclipsed by a foreign freebooter, enriched 
every field and shore in the neighborhood with the hidden 
wealth of Peter Stuyvesant and his contemporaries. 

Not a word of this conversation was lost upon Wolfert 
Webber. He returned pensively home, full of magnificent 
ideas. The soil of his native island seemed to be turned into 
gold dust, and every field to teem with treasure. His head al- 
most reeled at the thought how often he must have heedlessly 
rambled over places where countless sums lay, scarcely cover- 
ed by the turf beneath his feet. His mind was in an uproar 
with this whirl of new ideas. As he came in sight of the 
venerable mansion of his forefathers, and the little realm where 
the Webbers had so long and so contentedly flourished, his gorge 
rose at the narrowness of his destiny. 



olfert USLtbhex. 171 



*' Unlucky Wolfert !" exclaimed he ; " others can go to bed 
and dream themselves into whole mines of wealth ; they have 
but to seize a spade in the morning, and turn up doubloons like 
potatoes ; but thou must dream of hardships, and rise to 
poverty — must dig thy field from year's end to yeafs end, and 
yet raise nothing but cabbages !" 

Wolfert Webber went to bed with a heavy heart ; and it was 
long before the golden visions that disturbed his brain permitted 
him to sink into repose. The same visions, however, extended 
into his sleeping thoughts, and assumed a more definite form. 
He dreamt that he had discovered an immense treasure in the 
centre of his garden. At every stroke of the spade he laid bare 
a golden ingot ; diamond crosses sparkled out of the dust ; bags 
of money turned up their bellies, corpulent with pieces-of-eight, 
or venerable doubloons ; and chests, wedged close with moi- 
dores, ducats, and pistareens, yawned before his ravished eyes, 
and vomited forth their glittering contents. 

Wolfert awoke a poorer man than ever. He had no heart 
to go about his daily concerns, which appeared so paltry and 
profitless ; but sat all day long in the chimney-corner, picturing 
to himself ingots and heaps of gold in the fire. The next night 
his dream was repeated. He was again in his garden, digging, 
and laying open stores of hidden wealth. There was some- 
thing very singular in this repetition. He passed another day 
of reverie, and though it was cleaning-day, and the house, as 
usual in Dutch households, completely topsy-turvy, yet he sat 
unmoved amidst the general uproar. 

The third night he went to bed with a palpitating heart. He 
put on his red night-cap wrong side outwards, for good-luck. 
It was deep midnight before his anxious mind could settle itself 
into sleep. Again the golden dream was repeated, and again 
he saw his garden teeming with ingots and money bags. 

Wolfert rose the next morning in complete bewilderment. 
A dream three times repeated was never known to lie ; and if 
80, his fortune was made. 

In his agitation he put on his waistcoat with the hind part 



172 a JSooft of t^c f§utrgon< 



before, and this was a corroboration of good luck. He no 
longer doubted that a huge store of money lay buried some- 
where in his cabbage field, coyly waiting to be sought for ; and 
he repined at having so long been scratching about the surface 
of the soil instead of digging to the centre. 

He took his seat at the breakfast table full of these specula- 
tions ; asked his daughter to put a lump of gold into his tea, 
and on handing his wife a plate of slap-jacks, begged her to 
help herself to a doubloon. 

His grand care now was how to secure this immense trea- 
sure without its being known. Instead of working regularly in 
his grounds in the daytime, he now stole from his bed at night, 
and with spade and pickaxe, went to work to rip up and dig 
about his paternal acres, from one end to the other. In a little 
time the whole garden, which had pre -ented such a goodly and 
regular appearance, with its phalanx of cabbages, like a vege- 
table army in battle array, was reduced to a scene of devasta- 
tion ; while the relentless Wolfert, with night-cap on head, and 
lantern and spade in hand, stalked through the slaughtered 
ranks, the destroying angel of his own vegetable world. 

Every morning bore testimony to the ravages of the preced- 
ing night in cabbages of all ages and conditions, from the ten- 
der sprout to the full-grown head, piteously rooted from their 
quiet beds like worthless weeds, and left to wither in the sun- 
shine. In vain Wolfert's wife remonstrated ; in vain his darling 
daughter wept over the destruction of some favorite marigold. 
" Thou shalt have gold of another guess sort," he would cry, 
chucking her under the chin ; " thou shalt have a string of 
crooked ducats for thy wedding necklace, my child." His 
family began really to fear that the poor man's wits were dis- 
eased. He muttered in his sleep at night about mines of 
wealth, about pearls and diamonds and bars of gold. In the 
daytime he was moody and abstracted, and walked about as if 
in a trance. Dame Webber held frequent councils with all the 
old women of the neighborhood ; scarce an hour in the day but 
a knot of tliem might be seen wagging their white caps together 



mioltext WSSitlibex. 173 



round her door, while the poor woman made some piteous reci- 
tal. The daughter too was fain to seek for more frequent con- 
solation from the stolen intemews of her favored swain Dick 
Waldron. The delectable little Dutch songs with which she 
used to dulcify the house grew less and less frequent, and she 
would forget her sewing and look wistfully in her father's face, 
as he sat pondering by the fireside. Wolfert caught her eye one 
day fixed on him thus anxiously, and for a moment was roused 
from his golden reveries. — " Cheer up, my girl," said he, exul- 
tingly, " why dost thou droop '? — thou shalt hold up thy head 
one day with the BrinkerhoflTs and the Schermerhorns, the Van 
Homes and the Van Dams. — By Saint Nicholas, but the pa- 
troon himself shall be glad to get thee for his son !" 

Amy shook her head at this vainglorious boast, and was 
more than ever in doubt of the soundness of the good man's 
intellect. 

In the meantime Wolfort went on digging and digging ; but 
the field was extensive, and as his dream had indicated no 
precise spot, he had to dig at random. The winter set in 
before one-tenth of the scene of promise had been explored. 

The ground became frozen hard, and the nights too cold for 
the labors of the spade. 

No sooner, however, did the returning warmth of spring 
loosen the soil, and the small frogs begin to pipe in the 
meadows, but Wolfert resumed his labors with renovated zeal. 
Still, however, the hours of industry were reversed. 

Instead of working cheerily all day, planting and setting out 
his vegetables, he remained thoughtfully idle, until the shades 
of night summoned him to his secret labors. In this way he 
continued to dig from night to night, and Week to week, and 
month to month, but not a stiver did he find. On the contrary, 
the more he digged, the poorer he grew. The rich soil of his 
garden was digged away, and the sand and gravel from 
beneath were thrown to the surface, until the whole field 
presented an aspect of sandy barrenness. 

In the meantime the seasons gradually rolled on. The little 



174 ® 33ooft of tl^e l^ulison. 



frogs which had piped in the meadows in early spring, croaked 
as bull-frogs during the summer heats, and then sank into 
silence. The peach-tree budded, blossomed, and bore its fruit. 
The swallows and martins came, twittered about the roof, built 
their nests, reared their young, held their congress along the 
eaves, and then winged their flight in search of another spring. 
The caterpillar span its winding-sheet, dangled in it from the 
great button-wood tree before the house ; turned into a moth, 
fluttered with the last sunshine of summer, and disappeared ; 
and finally the leaves of the button-wood tree turned yellow, 
then brown, then nistled one by one to the ground, and 
whirling about in little eddies of wind and dust, whispered that 
winter was at hand. 

Wolfert gradually woke from his dream of wealth as the 
year declined. He had reared no crop for the supply of his 
household during the sterility of winter. The season was long 
and severe, and for the first time the family was really straitened 
in its comforts. By degrees a revulsion of thought took place 
in Wolfert's mind, common to those whose golden dreams 
have been disturbed by pinching realities. The idea gradually 
stole upon him that he should come to want. He already 
considered himself one of the most unfortunate men in the 
province, having lost such an incalculable amount of undis- 
covered treasure, and now, when thousands of pounds had 
eluded his search, to be perplexed for shillings and pence was 
ciTiel in the extreme. 

Haggard care gathered about his brow ; he went about with 
a money-seeking air, his eyes bent downwards into the dust, 
and carrying his hands in his pockets, as men are apt to do 
when they have nothing else to put into them. He could not 
even pass the city almshouse without giving it a rueful glance, 
as if destined to be his future abode. 

The strangeness of his conduct and of his looks occasioned 
much speculation and remark. For a long time he was 
suspected of being crazy, and then everybody pitied him ; at 



Wioltext URclbtv, 175 



length it began to be suspected that he was poor, and then 
eveiybody avoided him. 

The rich old burghers of his acquaintance met him outside 
of the door when he called, entertained him hospitably on the 
threshold, pressed him warmly by the hand at parting, shook 
their heads as he walked away, with the kind-hearted expres- 
sion of " poor Wolfeit," and turned a comer nimbly, if by 
chance they saw him approaching as they walked the streets. 
Even the barber and the cobbler of the neighborhood, and a 
tattered tailor in an alley hard by, three of the poorest and 
merriest rogues in the world, eyed him with that abundant sym- 
pathy which usually attends a lack of means ; and there is not 
a doubt but their pockets would have been at his command, 
only that they happened to be empty. 

Thus everybody deserted the Webber mansion, as if poverty 
were contagious, like the plague ; everybody but honest Dirk 
Waldron, who still kept up his stolen visits to the daughter, 
and indeed seemed to wax more affectionate as the fortunes of 
his mistress were in the wane. 

Many months had elapsed since Wolfert had frequented his 
old resort, the rural inn. He was taking a long lonely walk 
one Saturday afternoon, musing over his wants and disappoint- 
ments, when his feet took instinctively their wonted direction, 
and on awaking out of a reverie, he found himself before the 
door of the inn. For some moments iie hesitated whether to 
enter, but his heart yearned for companionship ; and where can 
a ruined man find better companionship than at a tavern, where 
there is neither sober example nor sober advice to put him out 
of countenance ? 

Wolfert found several of the old frequenters of the inn at 
their usual posts, and seated in their usual places ; but one was 
missing, the great Ramm Rapelye, who for many years had 
filled the leather-bottomed chair of state. His place was sup- 
plied by a stranger, who seemed, however, completely at home 
in the chair and the tavern. He was rather under size, but 



176 ® 130 ok of tSje f^ulis 



deep cheated, square, and muscular. His broad shoulders, 
double joints, and bow knees, gave tokens of prodigious 
strength. His face was dark and weather-beaten ; a deep scar, 
as if from the slash of a cutlass, had almost divided his nose, 
and made a gash in his upper lip, through which his teeth shone 
like a bull dog's. A mop of iron-grey hair gave a grizzly finish 
to his hard-favored visage. His dress was of an amphibious 
character. He wore an old hat edged with tarnished lace, and 
cocked in martial style, on one side of his head ; a rusty blue 
military coat with brass buttons, and a wide pair of short petti- 
coat trowsers, or rather breeches, for they were gathered up at 
the knees. He ordered everybody about him with an authori- 
tative air ; talked in a brattling voice, that sounded like the 
crackling of thorns under a pot ; d d the landlord and ser- 
vants with perfect impunity, and was waited upon with greater 
obsequiousness than had ever been shown to the mighty Ramm 
himself. 

Wolfert's curiosity was awakened to know who and what 
was the stranger who had thus usurped absolute sway in this 
ancient domain. Peechy Prauw took him aside into a remote 
corner of the hall, and there, in an under voice, and with great 
caution, imparted to him all that he knew on the subject. The 
inn had been aroused several months before, on a dark, stormy 
night, by repeated long shouts, that seemed like the bowlings 
of a wolf. They came from the water-side ; and at length 
were distinguished to be hailing the house in a seafaring man- 
ner, " House-ahoy !" The landlord turned out with his head 
waiter, tapster, hostler, and errand-boy — that is to say, with his 
old negro Cuff. On approaching the place whence the voice 
proceeded, they found this amphibious-looking personage at the 
water's edge, quite alone, and seated on a great oaken sea 
chest. How he came there, whether he had been set^on shore 
from some boat, or had floated to land on his chest, nobody 
could tell, for he did not seem disposed to answer questions, 
and there was somethmg in his looks and manners that put a 
stop to all questioning. Suffice if to say, he took possession 



Oil ol frit OEffabrr. 177 



of a corner room of the inn, to which his chest was removed 
with great difiiculty. Here he had remained ever since, keep- 
ing about the inn and its vicinity. Sometimes, it is true, he 
disappeared, for one, two, or three days at a time, going and 
returning without giving any notice or account of his move- 
ments. He always appeared to have plenty of money, though 
often of a very strange outlandish coinage, and he regularly 
paid his bill every evening before turning in. 

He had fitted up his room to his own fancy, having slung a 
hammock from the ceiling instead of a bed, and decorated the 
walls with rusty pistols and cutlasses of foreign workmanship. 
A great part of his time was passed in this room, seated by the 
window, which commanded a wide view of the Sound, a short 
old-fashioned pipe in his mouth, a glass of rum toddy at his 
elbow, and a pocket telescope in his hand, with which he re- 
connoitred every boat that moved upon the water. Large 
square-rigged vessels seemed to excite but little attention, but 
the moment he descried anything with a shoulder-of-mutton 
sail, or that a barge, or yawl, or jolly-boat hove in sight, up 
went the telescope, and he examined it with the most scrupulous 
attention. 

All this might have passed without much notice, for in those 
times the province was so much the resort of adventurers of all 
characters and climes, that any oddity in dress or behavior 
attracted but small attention. In a little while, however, this 
strange sea-monster, thus strangely cast upon dry land, began 
to encroach upon the long-established customs and customers 
of the place, and to interfere in a dictatorial manner m the 
affairs of the ninepin alley and the bar-room, until, in the end, 
he usurped an absolute command over the whole inn. It was 
all in vain to attempt to withstand his authority. He was i;ot 
exactly quarrelsome, but boisterous and peremptory, like one 
accustomed to tyrannize on a quarter-deck ; and there was a 
dare-devil air about everytliing he said and did, that inspired a 
warmess in all bystanders. Even the half-pay officer, so long 
8* 



178 ^ 33 oft of tijc |L?ul3!8on. 



the hero of the club, was soon silenced by him, and the quiet 
burghers stared with wonder at seeing their inflammable man 
of war so readily and quietly extinguished. 

And then the tales that he would tell were enough to make 
a peaceable man's hair stand on end. There was not a sea- 
fight, nor marauding nor freebooting adventure that had hap- 
pened within the last twenty years, but he seemed perfectly 
versed in it. He delighted to talk of the exploits of the buc- 
caneers in the West Indies and on the Spanish Main. How 
his eyes would glisten as he described the waylaying of treasure 
ships, the desperate fights, yard-arrn and yard-arm — broadside 
and broadside — the boarding and capturing of huge Spanish 
galleons ! With what chuckling relish would he describe the 
descent upon some rich Spanish colony ; the rifling of a church ; 
the sacking of a convent ! You would have thought you heard 
some gormandizer dilating upon the roasting of a savory goose 
at Michaelmas as he described the roasting of some Spanish 
Don to make him discover his treasure — a detail given with a 
minuteness that made every rich old burgher present turn uncom- 
fortably in his chair. All this would be told with infinite glee, as 
if he considered it an excellent joke ; and then he would give 
such a tyrannical leer in the face of his next neighbor, that the 
poor man would be fain to laugh out of sheer faint-heartedness. 
If any one, however, pretended to contradict him in any of his 
stories he was on fire in an instant. His very cocked hat 
assumed a momentary fierceness, and seemed to resent the con- 
tradiction. " How the devil should you know as well as I ? — 
I tell you it was as I say ;" and he would at the same time let 
slip a broadside of thundering oaths and tremendous sea-phrases, 
such as had never been heard before within these peaceful walls. 

Indeed, the worthy burghers began to surmise that he knew 
more of those stories than mere hearsay. Day after day their 
conjectures concerning him grew more and more wild and 
fearful. The strangeness of his arrival, the strangeness of his 
manners, the mystery that surrounded him, all made him some- 
thing incomprehensible in their eyes. He was a kind of mon- 



tJIoIfert UXebhet. 179 



ster of the deep to them — he was a merman — he was a behe- 
moth — he was a leviathan — in sliort, they knew not what he 
was. 

The domineering spirit of this boisterous sea-urchin at length 
grew quite intolerable. He was no respecter of persons ; he 
contradicted the richest burghers without hesitation ; he took 
possession of the sacred elbow-chair, which, time out of mind, 
had been the seat of sovereignty of the illustrious Ranun 
Rapelye. Nay, he even went so far in one of his rough jocular 
mood^-, as to slap that mighty burgher on the back, drink his 
toddy, and wink in his face, a thing scarcely to be believed. 
From this tune Ramm Rapelye appeared no more at the inn ; 
his example was followed by several of the most eminent cus- 
tomers, who were too rich to tolerate being bullied out of their 
opinions, or being obliged to laugh at another man's jokes. The 
landlord was almost in despair ; but he knew not how to get rid 
of this sea-monster and his sea-chest, who seemed both to have 
grown like fixtures, or excrescences, on his establishment. 

Such was the account whispered cautiously in Wolfert's ear, 
by the narrator, Peechy Prauw, as he held him by the button, 
in a corner of the hall, casting a wary glance now and then 
towards the door of the bar-room, lest he should be overheard 
by the terrible hero of his tale. 

Wolfert took his seat in a remote part of the room in silence ; 
impressed with profound awe of this unknown, so versed in 
freebooting history. It was to him a wonderful instance of the 
revolutions of mighty empires, to find the venerable Ramm 
Rapelye thus ousted from the throne, and a nagged tarpauling 
dictating from his elbow-chair, hectoring the patriarchs, and 
filling this tranquil little realm with brawl and bravado. 

The stranger was on this evening in a more than usually 
communicative mood, and was narrating a number of astound- 
ing stories of plunderings and burnings on the high seas. He 
dwelt upon them with a peculiar relish, heightening the fright- 
ful particulars in proportion to their effect on his peaceful audi- 
tors. He gave a swaggering detail of the capture of a Spanish 



180 ^ 3i5ook of tfjc l^utsoii. 



merchantman. She was lying becalmed during a long sum- 
mer's day, just off from an island which was one of the lurking 
places of the pirates. They had reconnoitred her with their spy- 
glasses from the shore, and ascertained her character and force. 
At night a picked crew of daring fellows set off for her in a 
whaleboat. They approached with muffled oars, as she lay 
rocking idly with the undulations of the sea, and her sails flap- 
ping against the masts. They were close under her stern be- 
fore the guard on deck was aware of their approach. The 
alarm was given ; the pirates threw hand-grenades on deck, 
and sprang up the main chains sword in hand. 

The crew flew to arms, but in great confusion ; some were 
shot down, others took refuge in the tops ; others were driven 
overboard and drowned, while others foughi hand to hand from 
the main-deck to the quarter-deck, disputing gallantly every 
inch of ground. There were three Spanish gentlemen on 
board with their ladies, who made the most desperate resistance. 
They defended the companion-way, cut down several of their 
assailants, and fought like very devils, for they were maddened 
by the shrieks of the ladies from the cabin. One of the Dons 
was old, and soon dispatched. The other two kept their 
ground vigorously, even though the captain of the pirates was 
among the assailants. Just then there was a shout of victory 
from the main-deck. " The ship is ours !" cried the pirates. 

One of the Dons immediately dropped his sword and sur- 
rendered ; the other, who was a hot-headed youngster, and 
just married, gave the captain a slash in the face that laid all 
open. The captain just made out to articulate the words 
" no quarter." 

" And what did they do with their prisoners ?" said Peechy 
Prauw, eagerly. 

" Threw them all overboard !" was the answer. A dead 
pause followed the reply. Peechy Prauw sank quietly back, 
like a man who had unwarily stolen upon the lair of a sleep- 
ing lion. The honest burghers cast fearful glances at the deep 
scar slashed across the visage of the stranger, and moved their 



Cmolfcrt WLebbcr. 181 



chairs a little further ofl'. Tlie seaman, however, smoked on 
without moving a muscle, as though he either did not perceive 
or did not regard the unfavorable effect he had produced upon 
his hearers. 

The half-pay officer was the first to break the silence, for he 
was continually tempted to make ineffectual head against this 
tyrant of the seas, and to regain his lost consequence in the 
eyes of his ancient companions. He now tried to match the 
gunpowder tales of the stranger by others equally tremendous. 
Kidd, as usual, was his hero, concerning whom he seemed to 
have picked up many of the floating traditions of the province. 
The seaman had always evinced a settled pique against the one- 
eyed warrior. On this occasion he listened with peculiar im- 
patience. He sat with one arm a-kimbo, the other elbow on a 
table, the hand holding on to the small pipe he was pettishly 
puffing ; his legs crossed, drumming with one foot on the 
ground, and casting every now and then the side-glance of a 
basilisk at the prosing captain. At length the latter spoke of 
Kidd's having ascended the Hudson with some of his crew, to 
land his plunder in secresy. 

" Kidd up the Hudson !" burst forth the seaman, with a tre- 
mendous oath — " Kidd never was up the Hudson." 

" I tell you he was," said the other. " Aye, and they say he 
buried a quantity of treasure on the little flat that runs out into 
the river called the Devil's Dans Kammer." 

" The Devil's Dans Kammer in your teeth !" cried the sea- 
man. " I tell you Kidd never was up the Hudson. What a 
plague do you know of Kidd and his haunts'?" 

" What do I know ?" echoed the half-pay officer. " Why, 
I was in London at the time of his trial ; aye, and I had the 
pleasure of seeing him hanged at Execution Dock." 

" Then, sir, let me tell you that you saw as pretty a fellow 
hanged as ever trod shoe-leather. Aye," putting his face near- 
er to that of the officer, " and there was many a land-lubber 
looked on that might much better have swung in his stead." 

The half-pay officer was silenced, but the indignation thus 



183 « J3ooft of tfjf ?^utJ2on. 



pent Tip in his bosom glowed with intense vehemence in his sin- 
gle eye, which kindled like a coal. 

Peechy Prauw, who never could remain silent, observed that 
the gentleman certainly was in the right. Kidd never did bury 
money up the Hudson, nor indeed in any of those parts, though 
many affirmed such to be the fact. It was Bradish and others 
of the buccaneers who had buried money ; some said in Tur- 
tle Bay, others on Long Island, others in the neighborhood of 
Hellgate. Indeed, added he, I recollect an adventure of Sam, 
the negro fisherman, many years ago, which some think had 
something to do with the buccaneers. As we are all friends 
here, and as it will go no further, I'll tell it to you. 

" Upon a dark night many years ago, as Black Sam was re- 
turning from fishing in Hell-gate " 

Here the story was nipped in the bud by a sudden movement 
from the unknown, who, laying his iron fist on the table, 
knuckles downward, with a quiet force that indented the very 
boards, and looking grimly over his shoulder, with the grin of 
an angry bear — " Heark'ee, neighbor," said he, with significant 
nodding of the head, '" you'd better let the buccaneers and 
their money alone — they're not for old men and old women to 
meddle with. They fought hard for their money ; they gave 
body and soul for it, and wherever it lies buried, depend upon 
it he must have a tug with the devil who gets it !" 

This sudden explosion was succeeded by a blank silence 
throughout the room. Peechy Prauw shrank within himself, 
and even the one-eyed officer turned pale. Wolfert, who from 
a dark corner of the room had listened with intense eagerness 
to all this talk about buried treasure, looked with mingled awe 
and reverence at this bold buccaneer, for such he really sus- 
pected him to be. There was a chinking of gold and a spark- 
ling of jewels in all his stories about the Spanish Main, that 
gave a value to every period, and Wolfert would have given 
anything for the mmmaging of the ponderous sea-chest, which 
his imagination crammed full of golden chalices, crucifixes, 
and jolly round bags of doubloons. 



WLoltext Wieihtt. 183 



The dead stillness that had fallen upon the company was at 
length interrupted by the stranger, who pulled out a prodigious 
watch of curious and ancient workmanship, and which in Wol- 
fert's eyes had a decidedly Spanish look. On touching a 
spring it siruck ten o'clock ; upon which the sailor called for 
his reckoning, and having paid it out of a handful of outlandish 
coin, he drank off the remainder of his beverage, and Vv^ithout 
taking leave of any one, rolled out of the room, muttering to 
liimself, as he stamped up stairs to his chamber. 

It was some time before the company could recover from 
the silence into which they had been thrown. The veiy foot- 
Kleps of the stranger, which were heard now and then as he 
traversed his chamber, inspired awe. 

Still the conversation in which they had been engaged was 
too interesting not to be resumed. A heavy thunder- gust had 
gathered up unnoticed while they were lost in talk, and the 
torrents of rain that fell forbade all thoughts of setting off for 
home until the storm should subside. They drew nearer to- 
gether, therefore, and entreated the worthy Peechy Prauw to 
continue the tale which had been so discourteously mterrupted. 
He readily complied, whispering, however, in a tone scarcely 
above his breath, and drowned occasionally by the rolling of 
the thunder, and he would pause every now and then, and lis- 
ten with evident awe, as he heard the heavy footsteps of the 
stranger pacing overhead. 

The following is the purport of his story. 



184 ^ JiJooft of if)e ^utseon. 



ADVENTURE OF THE BLACK FISHERMAN 

Everybody knows Black Sam, the old negro fisherman, or, 
as he is commonly called, Mud Sam, who has fished about the 
Sound for the last half century. It is now many years since 
Sam, who was then as active a young negro as any in the 
province, and worked on the farm of Killian Suydam, on Long 
Island, having finished his day's work at an early hour, was 
fishing, one still summer evening, just about the neighborhood 
of Ilell-gate. 

He was in a light skiff, and being well acquainted with the 
currents and eddies, had shifted his station, according to the 
shifting of the tide, from the Hen and Chickens to the Hog's 
Back, from the Hog's Back to the Pot, and from the Pot to 
the Frying Pan ; but in the eagerness of his sport he did not 
see that the tide was rapidly ebbing, until the roaring of the 
whirlpools and eddies warned him of his danger ; and he had 
some difficulty in shooting his skiff from among the rocks and 
breakers, and getting to the point of Blackwell's Island. Here 
he cast anchor for some time, waiting the turn of the tide, to 
enable him to return homewards. As the night set in, it grew 
blustering and gusty. Dark clouds came bundling up in the 
west, and now and then a growl of thunder or a flash of light- 
ning told that a summer storm was at hand. Sam pulled over, 
therefore, under the lee of Manhattan Island, and coasting 
along, came to a snug nook, just under a steep beetling rock, 
where he fafiened his skiff to the root of a tree that shot out 
from a cleft, and spread its broad branches like a canopy over 
the water. The gust came scouring along ; the wind threw 
up the river in white surges ; the rain rattled among the 



€i)C iSIacft jrfsficrman. 185 



leaves ; the thunder bellowed worse than that which is now 
bellowing ; the lightning seemed to lick up the surges of the 
stream ; but Sam, snugly sheltered under rock and tree, lay 
crouching in his skiff, rocking upon the billows until he fell 
asleep. When he woke all was quiet. The gust had passed 
away, and only now and then a faint gleam of lightning in the 
east showed which way it had gone. The night was dark and 
moonless, and from the state of the tide Sam concluded it was 
near midnight. He was on the point of making loose his 
skiff to return homewards, when he saw a light gleaming along 
the water from a distance, which seemed rapidly approaching. 
As it drew near he perceived it came from a lantern in the bow 
of a boat gliding along under shadow of the land. It pulli^d 
up in a small cove, close to where he was. A man jumped on 
sh^re, and searching about with the lantern, exclaimed, " This 
is the place — here's the iron ring." The boat was then made 
fast, and the man returning on board, assisted his comrades in 
conveying something heavy on shore. As the light gleamed 
among them, Sam saw that they were five stout desperate look- 
ing fellows, in red woollen caps, with a leader in a three-cornered 
hat, and that some of them were armed with dirks, or long 
knives, and pistols. They talked low to one another, and oc- 
casionally in some outlandish tongue which he could not 
understand. 

On landing they made their w\ny among the bushes, taking 
turns to relieve each other in lugging their burden up the rocky 
bank. Sam's curiosity was now fully aroused ; so, leaving his 
skiff, he clambered silently up a ridge that overlooked their 
path. They had stopped to rest for a moment, and the leader 
was looking about among the bushes with his lantern. " Have 
you brought the spades ?" said one. " They are here," replied 
another, who had them on his shoulder. " We must dig deep, 
where there will be no risk of discovery," said a third. 

A cold chill ran through Sam's veins. He fancied he saw 
before him a gang of murderers, about to bury their victim. 
His knees smote together. In his agitation he shook the branch 



186 a 33oofe of tfjf lUuison. 



of a tree with which he was supporting himself as he looked 
over the edge of the cliff. 

" What's that ?" cried one of the gang. " Some one stirs 
among the bushes I" 

. The lantern was held up in the direction of the noise. One 
of the red-caps cocked a pistol, and pointed it towards the very 
place where Sam was standing. He stood motionless — breath- 
less ; expecting the next moment to be his last. Fortunately 
his dingy complexion was in his favor, and made no glare 
among the leaves. 

'• 'Tis no one/' said the man with the lantern. '•' What a 
plague I you would not fire off your pistol and alarm the 
country I" 

The pistol was uncooked ; the burden was resumed, and the 
party slowly toiled along the bank. Sam watched them as 
they went ; the light sending back fitful gleams tlirough the 
dripping bushes, and it was not till they were fairly out of sight 
that he ventured to draw breath freely. He now thought of 
getting back to his boat, and making his escape out of the 
reach of such dangerous neighbors ; but curiosity was all- 
powerful. He hesitated and lingered and listened. By and by 
he heard the strokes of spades. '■' They are digging the grave !" 
said he to himself; and the cold sweat started upon his fore- 
head. Every stroke of a spade, as it sounded through the silent 
groves, went to his heart ; it was evident tliere was as little 
noine made as possible ; everything had an air of terrible mys- 
tery and secresy. Sam had a great relish for the horrible — a 
tale of murder was a treat for him ; and he was a constant 
attendant at executions. He could not resist an impulse, in 
spite of every danger, to steal nearer to the scene of mystery, 
and overlook the midnight fellows at their work. He crawled 
along cautiously, therefore, inch by inch ; stepping with the 
utmost care among the dry leaves, lest their rustling should 
betray him. He came at length to where a steep rock inter- 
vened between him and the gang ; for he saw the light of their 
lantern shining up against the branches of the treea on tlie other 



Ki)c JJlack Jisfjcrman. 187 



Bide. Sam slowly and silently clambered up the surface of the 
rock, and raising his head above its naked edge, beheld the 
villains immediately below him, and so near, that though he 
dreaded discovery, he dared not withdraw lest the least move- 
ment should be heard. In this way he remained, with his 
roimd black face peering above the edge of the rock, like the 
sun just emerging above the edge of the horizon, or the round- 
cheeked moon on the dial of a clock. 

The red-caps had nearly finished their work ; the grave was 
filled up, and they were carefully replacing the turf. This 
done, they scattered dry leaves over the place. " And now," 
said the leader, " I defy the devil himself to find it out." 

•'. The murderers !" exclaimed Sum, involuntarily. 

The whole gang started, and looking up beheld the round 
black head of Sam just above them ; his white eyes strained 
half out of their orbits ; his white teeth chattering, and his whole 
visage shining with cold perspiration. 

" We're discovered !" cried one. 

" Down with him !" cried another. 

Sam heard the cocking of a pistol, but did not pause for the 
report. He scrambled over rock and stone, through brush and 
brier ; rolled down banks like a hedgehog ; scrambled up 
others like a catamount. In every direction he heard some 
one or other of the gang hemming him in. At length he 
reached the rocky ridge along the river ; one of the red-caps was 
hard behind him. A steep rock like a wall rose directly in his 
way ; it seemed to cut off' all retreat, when fortunately he espied 
the strong cord-like branch of a grape-vine reaching half way 
down it. He sprang at it with the force of a desperate man, 
seized it with both hands, and being young and agile, succeeded 
in swinging himself to the summit of the cliff'. Here he stood 
in full relief against the sky, when the red-cap cocked his pistol 
and fired. The ball .whistled by Sam's head. With the lucky 
thought of a man in an emergency, he uttered a yell, fell to the 
ground, and detached at the same time a fragmeiit of the rock, 
which tumbled with a loud splash into the river. 



188 ^ 33oofe of tf)e l^uftsoi 



" I've done his business," said the red-cap to one or two of 
his comrades as they arrived panting. " He'll tell no tales, ex- 
cept to the fishes in the river." 

His pursuers now^ turned to meet their companions. Sam 
sliding silently down the surface of the rock, let himself quietly 
into his skiff, cast loose the fastening, and abandoned himself 
to the rapid current, which in that place runs like a mill-stream, 
and soon swept him off from the neighborhood. It was not, 
however, until he had drifted a great distance that he ventured 
to ply his oars ; when he made his skiff dart like an arrow 
through the strait of Hell-gate, never heeding the danger of Pot, 
Frying-Pan, nor Hog's Back itself: nor did he feel himself 
thoroughly secure until safely nestled in bed in the cocklolt of 
the ancient farm-house of the Suydams. 

Here the worthy Peechy Prauw paused to take breath, and 
to take a sip of the gossip tankard that stood at his elbow. 
His auditors remained with open mouths and outstretched 
necks, gaping like a nest of swallows for an additional 
mouthful. 

" And is that all V' exclaimed the half-pay officer. 

" That's all that belongs to the story," said Peechy Prauw. 

" And did Sam never find out what was buried by the red- 
caps?" said Wolfert eagerly, whose mind was haunted by 
nothing but ingots and doubloons. 

" Not that I know of," said Peechy ; " he had no time to 
spare from his work, and, to tell the truth, he did not like to 
run the risk of another race among the rocks. Besides, how 
should ho recollect the spot where the grave had been digged 1 
everything would look so different by daylight. And then, 
where was the use of looking for a dead body, when there was 
no chance of hanging the murderers 1" 

" Aye, but are you sure it was a dead body they buried 1" 
said Wolfert. 

" To be sure," cried Peechy Prauw, exultingly. " Does it 
not haunt in the neighborhood to this very day ]" 



STfjc 33latk iFtsTjerntan. 189 



" Haunt !" exclaimed several of the party, opening their 
eyes still wider, and edging their chairs still closer. 

" Aye, haunt," repeated Peechy ; " have none of you heard 
of father Red-cap, who haunts the old burnt fami-house in the 
woods, on the border of the Sound, near Hell-gate 1" 

" Oh, to be sure, I've heard tell of something of the kind, but 
then I took it for some old wives' fable." 

" Old wives' fable or not," said Peechy Prauw, " that farm- 
house stands hard by the very spot. It's been unoccupied time 
out of mind, and stands in a lonely part of the coast ; but 
those who fish in the neighborhood have often heard strange 
noises there ; and lights have been seen about the wood at 
night ; and an old fellow in a red cap has been seen at the 
windows more than once, which people take to be the ghost 
of the body buried there. Once upon a time three soldiers 
took shelter in the building for the night, and rummaged it from 
top to bottom, when they found old father Red-cap astride of 
a eider-barrel in the cellar, with a jug in one hand and a goblet 
in the other. He offered them a drink out of his goblet, but 
just as one of the soldiers was putting it to his mouth — whew ! 
— a flash of fire blazed through the cellar, blinded every 
mother's son of them for several minutes, and when they 
recovered their eye-sight, jug, goblet, and Red-cap had vanish- 
ed, and nothing but the empty cider-barrel remained." 

Here the half-pay officer, who was growing very muzzy and 
sleepy, and nodding over his liquor with half-extinguished eye, 
suddenly gleamed up like an expiring rushlight. 

" That's all fudge !" said he, as Peechy finished his last 
story. 

" Well, I don't vouch for the truth of it myself," said Peechy 
Prauw, " though all the world knows that there's something 
strange about that house and grounds ; but as to the story of 
Mud Sam, I believe it just as well as if it had happened to 
myself." 

The deep mtcrcst taken m this conversation by the company 



190 ^ Sooft ot tf)e |l1u5son, 



had made them unconscious of the uproar abroad among the 
elements, when suddenly they were electrified by a tremendous 
clap of thunder. A lumbering crash followed instantaneously, 
shaking the building to its very foundation. All started from 
their seats, imagining it the shock, of an earthquake, or that old 
father Red-cap was coming among them in all his terrors. 
They listened for a moment, but only heard the rain pelting 
against the windows, and the wind howling among the trees. 
The explosion was soon explained by the apparition of an old 
negro's bald head thrast in at the door, his white goggle eyes 
contrasting witli his jetty poll, which was wet with rain, and 
shone like a bottle. In a jargon but half intelligible, he 
announced that the kitchen chimney had been struck with 
lightning. 

A sullen pause of the storm, which now rose and sank in 
gusts, produced a momentary stillness. In this interval the 
report of a musket was heard, and a long shout, almost like a 
yell, resounded from the shores. Every one crowded to the 
window ; another musket-shot was heard, and another long 
ehout, mingled wildly with a rising blast of wind. It seemed 
as if the cry came up from the bosom of the waters ; for though 
incessant flashes of lightning spread a light about the shore, 
no one was to be seen. 

Suddenly the window of the room overhead was opened, and 
a loud halloo uttered by the mysterious stranger. Several 
bailings passed from one party to the other, but in a language 
which none of the company in the bar-room could understand ; 
and presently they heard the window closed, and a great noise 
overhead, as if all the furniture were pulled and hauled about 
the room. The negro servant was summoned, and shortly 
afterwards was seen assisting the veteran to lug the ponderous 
sea-chest down stairs. 

The landlord was in amazement. " What, you are not going 
on the water in such a storm V 

" Storm !" said the other, scornfully, " do you call such a 
sputter of weather a storm 1" 



m.olistt mitbhtr. 191 



" You'll get drenched to the skin — You'll catch your 
death !" said Peechy Piauw, aflectionately. 

" Thunder and lightning !" exclaimed the merman, " don't 
preach about weather to a man that has cniised in whirlwinds 
and tornadoes." 

The obsequious Peechy was again stmck dumb. The voice 
from the water was heard once more in a tone of impatience ; 
the bystanders stared with redoubled awe at this man of storms, 
who seemed to have come up out of the deep, and to be sum- 
moned back to it again. As, with the assistance of the negro, 
he slowly bore his ponderous sea-chest towards the shore, they 
eyed it with a superstitious feeling ; half doubting whether he 
were not really about to embark upon it and launch forth upon 
the wild waves. They followed him at a distance with a 
lantern. 

" Dowse the light !" roared the hoarse voice from the water. 
" No one wants lights here!" 

"Thunder and lightning!" exclaimed the veteran, turning 
short upon them ; " back to the house with you !" 

Woliert and his companions shrank back in dismay. Still 
their curiosity would not allow them entirely to withdraw. A 
long sheet of lightning now flickered across the waves, and dis- 
covered a boat, filled with men, just under a rocky point, rismg 
and sinking with the heaving surges, and swashing the water at 
every heave. It was with difficulty held to the rocks by a boat- 
hoolipfor the current rushed furiously round the point. The 
veteran hoisted one end of the lumbering sea-chest on the 
gimwale of the boat, and seized the handle at the other end to 
lift it in, when the motion propelled the boat from the shore ; 
the chest slipped off from the gunwale, and, sinking into the 
waves, pulled the veteran headlong after it. A loud shriek 
was uttered by all on shore, and a volley of execrations by 
those on board ; but boat and man were hurried away by the 
rushing swiftness of the tide. A pitchy darkness succeeded ; 
Wolfert Webber indeed fancied that he distinguished a cry for 
help, and that he beheld the drowning man beckoning for 



192 a aSoofe of t\)e %]n-ason. 



assistance ; but when the lightning again gleamed along the 
water, all was void ; neither man nor boat was to be seen ; 
nothing but the dashing and weltering of the waves as they 
hurried past. 

The company returned to the tavern to await the subsiding 
of the storm. They resumed their seats, and. gazed on each 
other with dismay. The whole transaction had not occupied 
five minutes, and not a dozen words had been spoken. When 
they looked at the oaken chair, they could scarcely realize the 
fact that the strange being who had so lately tenanted it, full 
of life and Herculean vigor, should already be a corpse. 
There was the very glass he had just drunk from ; there lay the 
ashes from the pipe which he had smoked, as it were, with his 
last breath. As the worthy burghers pondered on these things, 
they felt a terrible conviction of the uncertainty of existence, 
and each felt as if the ground on which he stood was rendered 
less stable by this awful example. 

As, however, the most of the company were possessed of 
that valuable philosophy which enables a man to bear up with 
fortitude against the misfortunes of his neighbors, they soon 
managed to console themselves for the tragic end of the veteran. 
The landlord was particularly happy that the poor dear man 
had paid his reckoning before he went ; and made a kind of 
farewell speech on the occasion. 

" He came," said he, " in a storai, and he went in a storm ; 
he came in the night, and he went in the night; hefHime 
nobody knows whence, and he has gone nobody knows where. 
For aught I know he has gone to sea once more on his chest, 
and may land to bother some other people on the other side of 
the world ! Though it's a thousand pities," added he, " if he 
has gone to Davy Jones's locker, that he had not left his own 
locker behind him." 

" His locker ! St. Nicholas preserve us !" cried Peechy 
Prauw. " I'd not have had that sea-chest in the house for any 
money ; Pll warrant he'd come racketing after it at nights, and 
making a haunted house of the inn. And, as to his going to 



Caolfert tJEctbcr. 193 



sea in his chest, I recollect what happened to Skipper Onder- 
donk's ship on his voyage from Amsterdam. 

" The boatswain died during a storm, so they wrapped him 
up in a sheet, and put him in his own sea-chest, and threw him 
overboard ; but they neglected in their hurry-skurry to say 
prayers over him — and the stoiTn raged and roared louder than 
ever, and they saw the dead man seated in his chest, with his 
shroud for a .sail, coming hard after the ship ; and the sea 
breaking before him in great sprays like fire ; and there they 
kept scudding day after day, and night after night, expecting 
every moment to go to wreck ; and every night they saw the 
dead boatswain in his sea-chest trying to get up with them, 
and they heard his whistle above the blasts of wind, and he 
seemed to send great seas mountain high after them, that 
would have swamped the ship if they had not put up the dead- 
lights. And so it went on till they lost sight of him in the 
fogs off Newfoundland, and supposed he had veered ship and 
stood for Dead Man's Isle. So much for burying a man at 
sea without saying prayers over him." 

The thunder-gust which had hitherto detained the company 
was now at an end. The cuckoo clock in the hall tolled mid- 
night ; every one pressed to depart, for seldom was such a late 
hour of the night trespassed on by these quiet burghers. As 
they sallied forth, they found the heavens once more serene. 
The storm which had lately obscured them had rolled away, 
and lay piled up in fleecy masses on the horizon, lighted up by 
the bright crescent of the moon, which looked like a little silver 
lamp hung up in a palace of clouds. 

The dismal occurrence of the night, and the dismal narra- 
tions they had made, had left a superstitious feeling in every 
mind. They cast a fearful glance at the spot where the buc- 
caneer had disappeared, almost expecting to see him sailing on 
his chest in the cool moonshine. The trembling rays glittered 
along the waters, but all was placid, and the current dimpled 
over the spot where he had gone down. The party huddled 
together in a little crowd as they repaired homeward, particu- 
9 



194 ^ J3ooft of tf)g l^utigon. 



larly when they passed a lonely field where a man had been 
murdered, and even the sexton, who had to complete his jour- 
ney alone, though accustomed, one would think, to ghosts and 
goblins, went a long way round, rather than pass by his own 
church-yard. 

Wolf'ert Webber had now carried home a fresh stock of 
stories and notions to ruminate upon. These accounts of pots 
of money and Spanish treasures, buried here and there and 
everywhere, about the rocks and bays of these wild shores, 
made him almost dizzy. " Blessed St. Nicholas !" ejaculated 
he half aloud, " is it not possible to come upon one of these 
golden hoards, and to make one's self rich in a twinkling ? 
How hard that I must go on, delving and delving, day in and 
day out, merely to make a morsel of bread, when one lucky 
stroke of a spade might enable me to ride in my carriage for the 
rest of my life V 

As he turned over in his thoughts all that had been told of 
the singular adventure of the negro fisherman, his imagination 
gave a totally different complexion to the tale. He saw in the 
gang of red-caps nothing but a crew of pirates burying their 
spoils, and his cupidity was once more awakened by the possi- 
bility of at length getting on the traces oi' some of this lurk- 
ing wealth. Indeed, his infected fancy tinged everything with 
gold. He felt like the greedy inhabitant of Bagdad, when his 
eyes had been greased with the magic ointment of the dervise, 
that gave him to see all the treasures of the earth. Caskets 
of buried jewels, chests of ingots, and barrels of outlandish 
coins, seemed to court him from their concealments, and sup- 
plicate him to relieve them from their unthnely graves. 

On making private inquiries about the grounds said to be 
haunted by Father Red-cap, he was more and more confirmed 
in his surmise. He learned that the place had several times 
been visited by experienced money-diggers, who had heard 
black Sam's story, though none of them had met with success. 
On the contrary, they had always been dogged with ill-luck 
of some kind or other, in consequence, as Wolfert concluded. 



olfert Smcfilier. 195 



of not going to work at the proper time, and with the proper 
ceremonials. The last attempt had been made by Cobus 
Quackenbos, who dug for a whole night, and met with incredi- 
ble difficulty, for as fast as he threw one shovel full of earth 
out of the hole, two were thrown in by invisible hands. He 
succeeded so far, however, as to uncover an iron chest, when 
there was a terrible roaring, ramping, and raging of uncouth 
figures about the hole, and at length showers of blows, dealt 
by invisible cudgels, fairly belabored him off of the forbidden 
ground. This Cobus Quackenbos had declared on his death- 
bed, so that there could not be any doubt of it. He was a 
man that had devoted many years of his life to money-digging, 
and it was thought would have ultimately succeeded, had he 
not died recently of a brain fever in the alms-house. 

Wolfert Webber was now in a worry of trepidation and im- 
patience, fearful lest some rival adventurer should get a scent 
of the buried gold. He determined privately to seek out the 
black fisherman, and get him to sei^ve as guide to the place 
where he had witnessed the mysterious scene of interment. 
Sam was easily found, for he was one of those old habitual 
beings that live about a neighborhood until they wear them- 
selves a place in the public mind, and become, in a manner, 
public characters. There was not an unlucky urchin about 
town that did not know Sam the fisherman, and think that he 
had a right to play his tricks upon the old negro. Sam had 
led an amphibious life for more than half a century, about the 
shores of the bay, and the fishing grounds of the Sound. He 
passed the greater part of his time on and in the water, par- 
ticularly about Hell-gate, and might have been taken, in bad 
weather, for one of the hobgoblins that used to haunt that 
strait. There would he be seen, at all times, and in all 
weathers, sometimes in his skifl^, anchored among the eddies, 
or prowling like a shark about some wreck, where the fish 
are supposed to be most abundant. Sometimes seated on a 
rock from hour to hour, looking in the mist and drizzle like a 
solitary heron, watching for its prey. He was well acquainted 



196 ^ Book of tije IlluSson. 



with every hole and corner of the Sound, from the Wallabout 
to Hell-gate, and from Hell-gate even unto the Devil's Step- 
ping-Stones, and it was even affirmed that he knew all the fish 
in the river by their Christian names. 

Wolfert found him at his cabin, which was not much larger 
than a tolerable dog-house. It was rudely constructed of frag- 
ments of wrecks and drift-wood, and built on the rocky shore 
at the foot of the old fort, just about what at present forms the 
point of the Battery. A " most ancient and fish-like smell" per- 
vaded the place. Oars, paddles, and fishing-rods were leaning 
against the wall of the fort ; a net was spread on the sands to 
dry ; a skiff" was drawn up on the beach, and at the door of 
his cabin was Mud Sam himself, indulging in the true negro 
luxury of sleeping in the sunshine. 

Many years had passed away since the time of Sam's youth- 
ful adventure, and the snows of many a winter had grizzled the 
knotty wool upon his head. He perfectly recollected the cir- 
cumstances, however, for he had often been called upon to re- 
late them, though in his version of the story he differed in 
many points from Peechy Prauw, as is not unfrequently the 
case with authentic historians. As to the subsequent researches 
of money-diggers, Sam knew nothing about them ; they were 
matters quite out of his line, neither did the cautious Wolfert 
care to disturb his thoughts on that point. His only wish was 
to secure the old fisherman as a pilot to the spot, and this was 
readily effected. The long time that had intervened since his 
nocturnal adventure had effaced all Sam's awe of the place, 
and the promise of a trifling reward roused him at once from 
his sleep and his sunshine. 

The tide was adverse to making the expedition by water, 
and Wolfert was too impatient to get to the land of promise, 
to wait for its turning ; they set off, therefore, by land. A 
walk of four or five miles brought them to the edge of a wood, 
which, at that time, covered the greater part of the eastern side 
of the island. It was just beyond the pleasant region of 
Bloomen-dael. Here they struck into a long lane, straggling 



olfert imeibex. 197 



among trees and bushes, very much overgrown with weeds and 
mullen-stalks, as if but seldom used, and so completely over- 
shadowed as to enjoy but a kind of" twilight. Wild vines en- 
tangled the trees, and flaunted in their faces ; brambles and 
briers caught their clothes as they passed ; the garter-snake 
glided across their path ; the spotted toad hopped and waddled 
before them, and the restless cat-bird mewed at them from 
every thicket. Had Wolfert Webber been deeply read in ro- 
mantic legend, he might have fancied himself entering upon 
forbidden, enchanted ground, or that these were some of the 
guardians set to keep watch upon buried treasure. As it was, 
the loneliness of the place, and the wild stories connected with 
it, had their effect upon his mind. 

On reaching the lower end of the lane, they found them- 
selves near the shore of the Sound in a kind of amphitheatre, 
surrounded by forest trees. The area had once been a grass- 
plot, but was now shagged with briers and rank weeds. At 
one end, and just on the river bank, was a ruined building, lit- 
tle better than a heap of rubbish, with a stack of chimneys, 
rising lilce a solitary tower out of the centre. The current of 
the Sound mshed along just below it, with wildly grown trees 
drooping their branches into its waves. 

Wolfert had not a doubt that this was the haunted house of 
Father Red-cap, and called to mind the story of Peeehy Prauw. 
The evening was approaching, and the light falling dubiously 
among these woody places, gave a melancholy tone to the scene, 
v/ell calculated to foster any lurking feeling of awe or supersti- 
tion. The night-hawk, wheeling about in the highest regions 
of the air, emitted his peevish, boding cry. The woodpecker 
gave a lonely tap now and then on some hollow tree, and the 
fire-bird* streamed by them with his deep-red plumage. 

They now came to an inclosure that had once been a gar- 
den. It extended along the foot of a rocky ridge, but was 
little better than a wilderness of weeds, with here and there a 

* Orchard Oriole. 



198 a Boofi of tf)£ l^ulijson. 



matted rose bush, or a peach or plum-tree grown wild and rag- 
ged, and covered with moss. At the lower end of the garden 
they passed a kind of vault in the side of a bank, facing the 
water. It had the look of a root-house. The door, though 
decayed, was still strong, and appeared to have been recently 
patched up. Wolfert pushed it open. It gave a harsh grating 
upon its hinges, and striking against something like a box, a 
rattling sound ensued, and a skull rolled on the floor. Wol- 
fert drew back shuddering, but was reassured on being inform- 
ed by the negro that this was a family-vault, belonging to one 
of the old Dutch families that owned this estate ; an assertion 
corroborated by the sight of coffins of various sizes piled within. 
Sam had been familiar with all these scenes when a boy, and 
now knew that he could not be far from the place of which 
they were in quest. 

They now made their way to the water's edge, scrambling 
along ledges of rocks that overhung the waves, and obliged 
often to hold by shrubs and grape-vines to avoid slipping into 
the deep and hurried stream. At length they came to a small 
cove, or rather indent of the shore. It was protected by steep 
rocks, and overshadowed by a thick copse of oaks and chest- 
nuts, so as to be sheltered and almost concealed. The beach 
shelved gradually within the cove, but the current swept deep 
and black and rapid along its jutting points. The negro paus- 
ed ; raised his remnant of a hat, and scratched his grizzled poll 
for a moment, as he regarded this nook ; then suddenly clapping 
his hands, he stepped exultingly forward, and pointed to a large 
iron ring, stapled firmly in the rock, just where a broad shelf of 
stone furnished a commodious landing-place. It was the very 
spot where the red-caps had landed. Years had. changed the 
more perishable features of the scene ; but rock and iron yield 
slowly to the influence of time. On looking more closely, 
Wolfert remarked three crosses cut in the rock just above the 
ring, which had no doubt some mysterious signification. Old 
Sam now readily recognised the overhanging rock under which 
his ekifi" had been sheltered during the thunder-gu?t. To follow 



Smolftrt SmcbTer. 199 



up the course which the midnight gang had taken, however, 
was a harder task. His mind had been so much taken up on 
that eventful occasion by the persons of the drama, as to pay 
but little attention to the scenes ; and these places look so 
difTerent by night and day. After wandering about for some 
time, however, they came to an opening among the trees which 
Sam thought resembled the place. There was a ledge of rock 
of moderate height like a wall on one side, which he thought 
might be the very ridge whence he had overlooked the diggers. 
Wolfert examined it narrowly, and at length discovered three 
crosses similar to those above the iron ring, cut deeply into the 
face of the rock, but nearly obliterated by moss that had grown 
over them. His heart leaped v/ith joy, for he doubted not they 
were the private marks of the buccaneers. All now that re- 
mained was to ascertain the precise spot where the treasure lay 
buried ; for otherwise he might dig at random in the neighbor- 
hood of the crosses, without coming upon the spoils, and he 
had already had enough of such profitless labor. Here, how- 
ever, the old negro was perfectly at a loss, and indeed perplexed 
him by a variety of opinions ; for his recollections were all con- 
fused. Sometimes he declared it must have been at the foot of 
a mulberry- tree hard by ; then beside a great white stone ; then 
under a- small green knoll, a short distance from the ledge of 
rocks ; until at length Wolfert became as bewildered as himself. 

The shadows of evening were now spreading themselves over 
the woods, and rock and tree began to mingle together. It 
v/as evidently too late to attempt anything further at present ; 
and, indeed, Wolfert had come unprovided with implements to 
prosecute his researches. Satisfied, therefore, with having ascer- 
tained the place, he took note of all its landmarks, that he 
might recognise it again, and set out on his return homewards, 
resolved to prosecute this golden enterprise without delay. 

The leading anxiety which had hitherto absorbed every feel- 
ing, being now in some measure appeased, fancy began to wan- 
der, and to conjure up a thousand shapes and chimeras as he 
returned through this haunted region. Pirates hanging in 



200 S J3t)oft oftf)c ?l!uti2on. 



chains seemed to swing from every tree, and he almost expect- 
ed to see some Spanish Don, with his throat cut from ear to 
ear, rising slowly out of the ground, and shaking the ghost of a 
money-bag. 

Their way back lay through the desolate garden, and Wol- 
fert's nerves had arrived at so sensitive a state that the flitting 
of a bird, the rastling of a leaf, or the falling of a nut, was 
enough to startle him. As they entered the confines of the 
garden, they caught sight of a figure at a distance advancing 
slowly up one of the walks, and bending under the weight of a 
burden. They paused and regarded him attentively. He wore 
what appeai-ed to be a woollen cap, and still more alamiing, 
of a most sanguinary red. 

The figure moved slowly on, ascended the bank, and stopped 
at the very door of the sepulchral vault. Just before entering 
it he looked around. What was the affright of Wolfert, when 
he recognised the grizzly visage oi" the drowned buccaneer ! He 
uttered an ejaculation of horror. The figure slowly raised his 
iron fist, and shook it with a terrible menace. Wolfert did not 
pause to see any more, but hurried off" as fast as his legs could 
carry him, nor was Sam slow in following at his heels, having 
all his ancient terrors revived. Away, then, did they scramble 
through bush and brake, horribly frightened at every bramble 
that tugged at their skirts, nor did they pause to breathe, until 
they had blundered their way through this perilous wood, and 
fairly reached the high road to the city. 

Several days elapsed before Wolfert could summon courage 
enough to prosecute the enterprise, so much had he been dis- 
mayed by the apparition, whether living or dead, of the grizzly 
buccaneer. In the meantime, what a conflict of mind did he 
Buffer ! He neglected all his concerns, was moody and restles.? 
all day, lost his appetite, wandered in his thoughts and words, 
and committed a thousand blunders. His rest was broken ; 
and when he fell asleep, the nightmare, in shape of a huge 
money-bag, sat squatted upon his breast. He babbled abou< 
incalculable sums ; fancied himself engaged in money-digging ; 



tSMoUirt Wiebber, 201 



threw the bedclothes right and left, in the idea that he was 
shovelling away the dirt ; groped under the bed in quest of 
the treasure, and lugged forth, as he supposed, an inestimable 
pot of gold. 

Dame Webber and her daughter were in despair at what 
they conceived a returning touch of insanity. There are two 
family oracles, one or other of which Dutch housewives 
consult in all cases of great doubt and perplexity — the dominie 
and the doctor. In the present instance they repaired to the 
doctor. There was at that time a little dark mouldy man of 
medicine, Itimous among the old wives of the Manhattoes for 
his skill, not only in the healing art, but in all matters of 
strange and mysterious nature. His name was Dr. Knipper- 
hausen, but he was more commonly known by the appellation 
of the High German Doctor.* To him did the poor women 
repair for counsel and- assistance touching the mental vagaries 
of Wolfert Webber. 

They found the doctor seated in his little study, clad in his 
dark camlet robe of knowledge, with his black velvet cap ; 
after the manner of Boorhaave, Van Helmont, and other 
medical sages ; a pair of green spectacles set in black hora 
upon his clubbed nose, and poring over a German folio that 
reflected back the darkness of his physiognomy. The doctor 
listened to their statement of the symptoms of Wolfert's malady 
with profound attention ; but when they came to mention his 
raving about buried money, the little man pricked up his ears. 
Alas, poor women ! they little knew the aid they had called in. 

Dr. Knipperhausen had been half his life engaged in seeking 
the short cuts to fortune, in quest of which so many a long 
lifetime is wasted. He had passed some years of his youth 
among the Har? mountains of Germany, and had derived 
much valuable instruction from the miners, touching the mode 
of seeking treasure buried in the earth. He had prot-ecuted his 



* The same, no doubt, of whom mention is madt^ in the history of 
Dolph Heyliger. 

9* 



202. ® 33oofe Df tf)e l^utison. 

studies also under a travelling sage who united the mysteries 
of medicine with magic and legerdemain. His mind therefore 
had become stored with all kinds of mystic lore ; he had 
dabbled a little in astrology, alchemy, divination ; knew how 
to detect stolen money, and to tell where springs of water lay 
hidden ; in a word, by the dark nature of his knowledge he 
had acquired the name of the High German Doctor, which is 
pretty nearly equivalent to that of necromancer. The doctor 
had often heard rumors of treasure being buried in various parts 
of the island, and had long been anxious to get on the traces 
of it. No sooner were Wolfert's waking and sleeping vagaries 
confided to him, than he beheld in them the confirmed symp- 
toms of a case of money-digging, and lost no time in probing 
it to the bottom. Wolfert had long been sorely oppressed in 
mind by the golden secret, and as a family physician is a kind 
of father confessor, he was glad of any opportunity of un- 
burdening himself. So far from curing, the doctor caught the 
malady from his patient. The circumstances unfolded to him 
awakened all his cupidity ; he had not a doubt of money being 
buried somewhere in the neighborhood of the mysterious 
crosses, and offered to join Wolfert in the search. He informed 
him that much secresy and caution must be observed in enter- 
prises of the kind ; that money is only to be digged for at night ; 
with certain forms and ceremonies ; the burning of drugs ; the 
repeating of mystic words ; and above all, that the seekers must 
first be provided with a divining rod, which had the wonderful 
property of pointing to the very spot on the surface of the 
earth under which treasure lay hidden. As the doctor had 
given much of his mind to these matters, he charged himself 
with all the necessary preparations, and, as the quarter of the 
moon was propitious, he undertook to have the divining rod 
ready by a certain night.* 

* The following note was found .Tppended to this passage in the hand- 
writing of Mr. Knickerbocker. "There has been much written against 
the divining rod by those light minds who are ever ready to scoff ut tho 
iHj'steries of nature ; but I fully join with Dr. Knipperhausen in giving 



olfert OJefibcr. 203 



Wolfert's heart leaped with joy at having met with so 
learned and able a coadjutor. Everything went on secretly, 
but swimmingly. The doctor had many consultations with 
his patient, and the good woman of the household lauded tho 
comforting effects of his visits. In the meantime the wonderful 
divining rod, that great key to nature's secrets, was duly pre- 
pared. The doctor had thumbed over all his books of know- 
ledge for the occasion ; and the black fisherman was engaged 
to take them in his skiff to the scene of enterprise ; to work 
wath spade and pickaxe in unearthing the treasure ; and to 
freight his bark with the weighty spoils they were certain of 
finding. 

it my faith. I shall not insist upon its efficacy in discovering the con- 
cealment of stolen goods, the boundary stones of fields, the traces of 
robbers and murdcjprs, or even the existence of subterraneous springs 
and stre.ims of water : albeit, I think these properties not to be readily 
discredited : but of its potency in discovering veins of preciriis metal, 
and hidden sums of money and jewels, I have not the least doubt. 
Some said that the rod turned only in the hands of persons who had 
been born in particular nmnths of the year; hence astrologers had re- 
course to {.'lanetary influence when they would procure a talisman. 
Others declared that the properties of the rod were either an effect of 
chance, or the fraud of the holder, or the work of the devil. Tims saith 
the reverend father Gaspard Sebett in his Treatise on Magic: ' Pro])ter 
haic et similia argumenta audacler ego promisero vim conversivam 
virgulae bifurcate nequaquam naturalem esse, sed vol casu vel fr.iude 
virgulam tractantis vel ope diaboli,' &c. 

"Georghis Agricola also was of opinion that it was a mere delusion of 
the devil to inveigle the avaricious and unwary into his clutches, and in 
his treatise! 'de re Mctallica,' lays particular stress on the mysterious 
words pronounced by those persons who employed the divining rod 
during his time. Cut I make not a doubt that the divining rod 
is one of those secrets of natural magic, the mystery of which is to be 
explained by the sympathies existing between physical things operated 
upon by the planets, and rendered efficacious by the strong faith of the 
individual. Let the divining rod 1)0 properly gathered at the proper time 
of the moon, cut into the proper form, used with the necessary ceremo- 
nies, and with a perfect fiith in its efficacy, and I can confidently re- 
commend it to my fellow-citizens as an infallible means of discovering 
the various places on the Island of Manhattoes where treasure hath 
been buried in the olden time. D. K." 



204 ^ ^oo'k of tf)e %utison. 



At length the appointed night arrived for this perilous un- 
dertaking. Before Wolfert left his home he counselled his 
wife and daughter to go to bed, and feel no alarm if he should 
not return during the night. Like reasonable women, on being 
told not to feel alarm, they fell immediately into a panic. They 
saw at once by his manner that something unusual was in agita- 
tion ; all their fears about the unsettled state of his mind were 
revived with tenfold force ; they hung about him, entreating 
him not to expose himself to the night air, but all in vain. 
When once Wolfert was mounted on his hobby, it was no easy 
matter to get him out of the saddle. It was a clear starlight 
night, when he issued out of the portal of the Webber palace. 
He wore a large flapped hat tied under the chin with a hand- 
kerchief of his daughter's, to secure him from the night damp, 
while Dame Webber threw her long red cloak about his shoul- 
ders, and fastened it round his neck. 

The doctor had been no less carefully armed and accoutred 
by his housekeeper, the vigilant Frau Ilsy, and sallied forth in 
his camlet robe, by way of surcoat ; his black velvet cap under 
his cocked hat, a thick clasped book under his arm, a basket 
of dmgs and dried herbs in one hand, and in the other the 
miraculous rod of divination. 

The great church clock struck ten as Wolfert and the doc- 
tor passed by the churchyard, and the watchman bawled in 
hoarse voice a long and doleful " all's well !" A deep sleep 
had already fallen upon this primitive little burgh ; nothing 
disturbed this awful silence, excepting now and then the bark 
of some profligate night walking dog, or the serenade of some 
romantic cat. It is true, Wolfert fancied more than once that 
he heard the sound of a stealthy footfall at a distance behind 
them : but it might have been merely the echo of their own 
steps along the quiet streets. He thought -also at one time 
that he saw a tall figure skulking after them — stopping when 
they stopped, and moving on as they proceeded ; but the dim 
and uncertain lamp-light threw such vague gleams and 
shadows, that this might all have been mere fancy. 



amolfcrt miebbtt, 205 



They found the old fisherman waiting for them, smoking his 
pipe in the stem of his skiff, which was moored just in front of 
his little cabin. A pickaxe and spade were lying in the bot- 
tom of the boat, with a dark lantern, and a stone bottle of 
good Dutch courage, in which honest Sam no doubt put even 
more faitii than Dr. Knipperhausen in his drags. 

Thus then did these three worthies embark in their cockle- 
shell of a skiff upon this nocturnal expedition, with a wisdom 
and valor equalled only by the three wise men of Gotham, who 
adventured to sea in a bowl. The tide was rising and running 
rapidly up the Sound. The current bore them along, almost 
without the aid of an oar. The profile of the town lay all in 
shadow. Here and there a light feebly glimmered from some 
sick chamber, or from a cabin window of some vessel at an- 
chor in the stream. Not a cloud obscured the deep starry fir- 
mament, the lights of which wavered on the surface of the 
placid river ; and a shooting meteor, streaking its pale course 
in the very direction they were taking, was interpreted by the 
doctor into a most propitious omen. 

In a little while they glided by the point of Corlaer's Hook 
with the rural inn which had been the scene of such night ad- 
ventures. The family had retired to rest, and the house was 
dark and still. Wolfert felt a chill pass over him as they pass- 
ed the point where the buccaneer had disappeared. He pointed 
it out to Dr. Knipperhausen. While regarding it, they thought 
they saw a boat actually lurking at the very place ; but the 
shore cast such a shadow over the border of the water that they 
could discern nothing distinctly. They had not proceeded far 
when they heard the low sounds of distant oars, as if cautiously 
pulled. Sam plied his oars with redoubled vigor, and knowing 
all the eddies and currents of the stream, soon left their follow- 
ers, if such they were, far astern. In a little while they stretch- 
ed across Turtle bay and Kip's bay, then shrouded themhelves 
in the deep shadows of the Manhattan shore, and glided swiftly 
along, secure from observation. At length the negro shot his 
skifT into a little cove, darkly embowered by trees, and made it 



g06 ® Sooit of tfje %u5son. 

fast to the well-known iron ring. They now landed, and 
lighting the lantern, gathered their various implements and pro- 
ceeded slowly through the bushes. Every sound startled them, 
even that of their own footsteps among the dry leaves ; and the 
hooting of a screech-owl, from the shattered chimney of the 
neighboring ruin, made their blood run cold. 

In spite of all Wolfert's caution in taking note of the land- 
marks, it was some time before they could find the open place 
among the trees, where the treasure was supposed to be buried. 
At length they came to the ledge of rock ; and on examining 
its surface by the aid of the lantern, Wolfert recognised the 
three mystic crosses. Their hearts beat quick, for the momen- 
tous trial was at hand that was to determine their hopes. 

The lantern was now held by Wolfert Webber, while the 
doctor produced the divining rod. It was a forked twig, one 
end of which was grasped firmly in each hand, while the centre, 
forming the stem, pointed perpendicularly upwards. The doctor 
moved this wand about, within a certain distance of the earth, 
from place to place, but for some time without any effect, 
while Wolfert kept the light of the lantern turned full upon it, 
and watched it with the most breathless interest. At length 
the rod began slov/ly to turn. The doctor grasped it with 
greater earnestness, his hands trembling with the agitation of 
his mind. The wand continued to turn gradually, until at 
length the stem had reversed its position, and pointed perpen- 
dicularly downwards, and remained pointing to one spot as 
fixedly as the needle to the pole. 

" This is the spot !" said the doctor, in an almost inaudible 
tone. 

Wolfert's heart was in his throat. 

" Shall I dig V said the negro, grasping the spade. 

" Fots tausends, no !" replied the little doctor, hastily. He 
now ordered his companions to keep close by him, and to 
maintain the most inflexible silence. That certain precautions 
must be taken and ceremonies used to prevent the evil spirits 



olUxt TIMtliiex. 207 



which kept about buried treasure from doing them any harm. 
He then drew a circle about the place, enough to include the 
whole party. He next gathered dry twigs and leaves and made 
a fire, upon which he threw certain drugs and dried herbs which 
he had brought in his basket. A thick smoke rose, diffusing a 
potent odor, savoring marvellously of brimstone and asafoetida, 
which, however grateful it might be to the olfactory nerves of 
spirits, nearly strangled poor Wolfert, and produced a fit of 
coughing and wheezing that made the whole grove resound. 
Doctor Kuipperhausen then unclasped the volume which he 
had brought under his arm, which was printed in red and black 
characters in German text. While Wolfert held the lantern, 
the doctor, by the aid of his spectacles, read off several forms 
of conjuration in Latin and German. He then ordered Sam 
to seize the pickaxe and proceed to work. The close-bound 
soil gave obstinate signs of not having been disturbed for many 
a year. After having picked his way through the surface, Sam 
came to a bed of sand and gravel, which he threw briskly to 
right and left with the spade. 

" Hark !" said Wolfert, who fancied he heard a trampling 
among the dry leaves, and rustling through the bushes. Sam 
paused for a moment, and they listened. No footstep was 
near. The bat flitted by them in silence ; a bird, roused from 
its roost by the light which glared up among the trees, flew 
circling about the flame. In the profound stillness of the 
woodland, they could distinguish the current rippling along 
the rocky shore, and the digtant murmuring and roaring of 
Hell-gate. 

The negro continued his labors, and had already digged a 
considerable hole. The doctor stood on the edge, reading 
formulae every now and then from his black-letter volume, or 
throwing more drugs and herbs upon the fire ; while Wolfert 
bent anxiously over the pit, watching every stroke of the spade. 
Any one witnessing the scene thus lighted up by fire, lantern, 
and the reflection of Wolfert's red mantle, might have mistaken 



Q08 ® 33ooft of tije I^UUson. 

the little doctor for some foul magician busied in his incanta- 
tions, and the grizzly-headed negro for some swart goblin, 
obedient to his commands. 

At length the spade of the fisherman struck upon something 
that sounded hollow. The sound vibrated to Wolfert's heart. 
He struck his spade again. 

" 'Tis a chest," said Sam. 

" Full of gold, I'll warrant it !" cried Wolfert, clasping his 
hands with rapture. 

Scarcely had he uttered the words when a sound from above 
caught his ear. He cast up his eyes, and lo ! by the expiring 
light of the fire he beheld, just over the disk of the rock, what 
appeared to be the grim visage of the drowned buccaneer, 
grinning hideously down upon him. 

Wolfert gave a loud cry, and let fall the lantern. His panic 
communicated itself to his companions. The negro leaped 
out of the hole ; the doctor dropped his book and basket, and 
began to pray in German. All was horror and confusion. 
The fire was scattered about, the lantern extinguished. In 
then- hm-ry-scurry they ran against and confounded one 
another. They fancied a legion of hobgoblins let loose upon 
them, and that they saw, by the fitful gleams of the scattered 
embers, strange figures, in red caps, gibbering and ramping 
around them. The doctor ran one way, the negro another, 
and Wolfert made for the water side. As he plunged strug- 
gling onwards through brush and brake, he heard the tread of 
f?ome one in pursuit. He scrambled frantically forward. The 
footsteps gained upon him. He felt himself grasped by his 
cloak, when suddenly his pursuer was attacked in turn: a fierce 
fight and struggle ensued — a pistol was discharged that lit up 
rock and bush for a second, and showed two figures grappling 
together — all was then darker than ever. The contest con- 
tinued — the combatants clinched each other, and panted, and 
groaned, and rolled among the rocks. There was snarling and 
growling as of a cur, mingled with curses, in which Wolfert 
fancied he could recognise the voice of the buccaneer. He 



WLoltext tmfbbtt. 209 



would fain have fled, but he was on the brink of a precipice, 
and could go no further. 

Again the parties were on their feet ; again there was a tag- 
ging and struggling, as if strength alone could decide the com- 
bat, until one was precipitated from the brow of the cliff, and 
sent headlong into the deep stream that whirled below. Wol- 
fert heard the plunge, and a kind of strangling, bubbling mur- 
mur, but the darkness of the night hid everything from him, 
and the swiftness of the current swept everything instantly out 
of hearing. One of the combatants was disposed of, but 
whether friend or foe, Wolfert could not tell, nor whether 
they might not both be foes. He heard the sui-vivor 
approach, and his terror revived. He saw, where the profile 
of the rocks rose against the horizon, a human form advanc- 
ing. He could not be mistaken ; it must be the buccaneer. 
Whither should he fly ! — a precipice was on one side — a mur- 
derer on the other. The enemy approached — he was close at 
hand. Wolfert attempted to let himself down the face of the 
cliff. His cloak caught in a thorn that grew on the edge. He 
was jerked from off his feet, and held dangling in the air, half- 
choked by the string with which his careful wife had fastened the 
garment round his neck. Wolfert thought his last moment 
was arrived ; already had he committed his soul to St. Nicho- 
las, when the string broke, and he tumbled down the bank, 
bumping from rock to rock, and bush to bush, and leaving the 
red cloak fluttering like a bloody banner in the air. 

It was a long while before Wolfert came to himself. 
When he opened his eyes, the ruddy streaks of morning were 
already shooting up the sky. He found hunself grievously 
battered, and lying in the bottom of a boat. He attempted to 
sit up, but was too sore and stiff to move. A voice requested 
him in friendly accents to lie still. He turned his eyes towards 
the speaker ; it was Dirk Waldron. He had dogged the par- 
ty, at the earnest request of Dame Webber and her daughter, 
who, with the laudable curiosity of their sex, had pried into 
the secret consultations of Wolfert and the doctor. Dirk had 



210 ^ ISaoft ot tife ^utsseti. 



been completely distanced in following the light skifF of the 
fisherman, and had just come in time to rescue the poor money- 
digger from his pursuer. 

Thus ended this perilous enterprise. The doctor and Black 
Sam severally found their way back to the Manhattoes, each 
having some dreadful tale of peril to relate. As to poor Wol- 
fert, instead of returning in triumph laden with bags of gold, he 
was borne home on a shutter, followed by a rabble rout of 
curious urchins. . His wife and daughter saw the dismal pageant 
from a distance, and alarmed the neighborhood with their 
cries ; they thought the poor man had suddenly settled the 
great debt of nature in one of his wayward moods. Finding 
him, however, still living, they had him speedily to bed, and a 
jury of old matrons of the neighborhood assembled, to deter- 
mine how he should be doctored. The whole town was in a 
buzz with the story of the money-diggers. Many repaired to 
the scene of the previous night's adventures ; but though they 
found the very place of the digging, they discovered nothing 
that compensated them for their trouble. Some say they found 
the fragments of an oaken chest, and an iron pot-lid, which 
savored strongly of hidden money, and that in the old family vault 
there were traces of bales and boxes, but this is all veiy dubious. 

In fact, the secret of all this story has never to this day 
been discovered ; whether any treasure were ever actually 
buried at that place ; whether, if so, it were carried off at 
night by those who had buried it ; or whether it still remains 
there under the guardianship of gnomes and spirits, until it 
shall be properly sought for, is all matter of conjecture. For 
my part, I incline to the latter opinion, and make no doubt 
that great sums lie buried, both there and in other parts of this 
island and its neighborhood, ever since the times of the buc- 
caneers and the Dutch colonists, and I would earnestly recom- 
mend the search after them to such of my fellow citizens as are 
not engaged in any other speculations. 

There were many conjectures formed, also, as to who and 
what was the strange man of the seas who had domineered 



Wioltext WSSitibtx. 211 



over the little fraternity at Corlaer's Hook for a time, disap- 
peared so strangely, and reappeared so fearfully. Some sup- 
posed him a smuggler stationed at that place to assist his com- 
rades in landing their goods among the rocky coves of the 
island. Others that he was one of the ancient comrades of 
Kidd or Bradish, returned to convey away treasures formerly 
hidden in the vicinity. The only circumstance that throws 
anything like a vague light on this mysterious matter, is a re- 
port which prevailed of a strange, foreign built shallop, with 
much the look of a picaroon, having beeft seen hovering about 
the Sound for several days, without landing or reporting her- 
self, though boats were seen going to and from her at night, 
and that she was seen standing out of the mouth of the har- 
bor in the grey of the dawn after the catastrophe of the money- 
diggers. 

I must not omit to mention another report, also, which I 
confess is rather apocryphal, of the buccaneer, who was sup- 
posed to have been drowned, being seen before daybreak, with 
a lantern in his hand, seated astride of his great sea-chest, and 
sailing through Hell-gate, which just then began to roar and 
bellow with redoubled fury. 

While all the gossip world was thus filled with talk and ru- 
mor, poor Wolfert lay sick and sorrowful in his bed, bruised 
in body, and sorely beaten down in mind. His wife and 
daughter did all they could to bind up his wounds, both corpo- 
ral and spiritual. The good old dame never stirred from his 
bedside, where she sat knitting from morning till night, while 
his daughter busied herself about him with the fondest care. 
Nor did they lack assistance from abroad. Whatever may be 
said of the desertion of friends in distress, they had no complaint 
of the kind to make. Not an old wife of the neighborhood but 
abandoned her work to crowd to the mansion of Wolfert 
Webber, inquire after his health, and the particulars of his 
story. Not one came moreover, without her little pipkin of 
pennyroyal, sage, balm, or other herb tea, delighted at an 
opportunity of signalizing her kindness and her doctorship. 



212 ® aSook of tf)e ^utizan. 



What drenchings did not poor Wolfert undergo, and all in 
vain ! It was a moving sight to behold him wasting away day 
by day, growing thinner and thinner, and ghastlier and ghast- 
lier, and staring with rueful visage from under an old patch- 
work counterpane, upon the jury of matrons kindly assembled 
to sigh, and groan, and look unhappy around him. 

Dirk Waldron was the only being that seemed to shed a ray 
of sunshine into this house of morning. He came in with 
cheery look and manly spirit, and tried to reanimate the ex- 
piring heart of the potir money-digger, but it was all in vain. 
Wolfert was completely done over. If anything was wanting 
to complete his despair, it was a notice served upon him in the 
midst of his distress, that the corporation were about to run a 
new street through the very centre of his cabbage garden. He 
now saw nothing before him but poverty and ruin ; his last re- 
liance, the garden of his forefathers, was to be laid waste, and 
what then was to become of his poor wife and child ? 

His eyes filled with tears as they followed the dutiful Amy 
out of the room one morning. Dirk Waldron was seated 
beside him ; Wolfert grasped his hand, pointed after his daugh- 
ter, and, for the first time since his illness, broke the silence he 
had maintained. 

" I am going !" said he, shaking his head feebly, " and when 
I am gone — my poor daughter " 

" Leave her to me, father !" said Dirk, manfully — " I'll take 
care of her !" 

Wolfert looked up in the face of the cheery, trapping 
youngster, and saw there was none better able to take care of a 
woman. 

" Enough," said he — " she is yours ! — and now fetch me a 
lawyer — let me make my will and die." 

The lawyer was brought — a dapper, bustling, round-headed 
little man. Roorback (or Rollebuck as it was pronounced) by 
name. At the sight of him the women broke into loud 
lamentations, for they looked upon the signing of a will as the 



aaaolfcrt miebitt. 213 



signing of a death-warrant. WoH'ert made a feeble motion for 
them to be silent. Poor Amy buried her face and her grief in 
the bed-curtain. Dame Webber resumed her knitting to hide 
her distress, which betrayed itself, however, in a pellucid tear, 
which trickled silently down, and hung at the end of her 
peaked nose ; while the cat, the only unconcerned member of 
the family, played with the good dame's ball of worsted, as it 
rolled about the floor. 

Wolfert lay on his back, his night-cap drawn over his fore- 
head ; his eyes closed ; his whole visage the picture of death. 
He begged the lawyer to be brief, for he felt his end approach- 
ing, and that he had no time to lose. The lawyer nibbed his 
pen, spread out his paper, and prepared to write. 

" I give and bequeathe," said Wolfert, faintly, " my small 
farm " 

" What — all !" exclaimed the lawyer. 

Wolfert half opened his eyes and looked upon the lawyer. 

" Yes — all," said he. 

" What ! all that great patch of land with cabbages and sun- 
flowers, which the coi-poration is just going to run a main street 
through ?" 

" The same," said Wolfert, with a heavy sigh, and sinking 
back upon his pillow. 

" I wish him joy that inherits it !" said the little lawyer, 
chuckling and rubbing his hands involuntarily. 

" What do you mean V said Wolfert, again opening his 
eyes. 

" That he'll be one of the richest men in the place !" cried 
little Rollebuck. 

The expiring Wolfert seemed to step back from the threshold 
of existence ; his eyes again lighted up ; he raised himself in his 
bed, shoved back his red worsted night-cap, and stared broadly 
at the lawyer. 

" You don't say so !" exclaimed he. 

" Faith, but I do !" rejoined the other. " Why, when that 



214 ^ !3oofe of t^e ?^ufison. 



great field and that huge meadow come to be laid out in streets, 
and cut up into snug building lots — why, whoever owns it need 
not pull off his hat to the patroon !" 

" Say you so ?" cried Wolfert, half thrusting one leg out of 
bed, " why, then I think I'll not make my will yet !" 

To the surprise of everybody the dying man actually re- 
covered. The vital spark, which had glimmered faintly in the 
socket, received fresh fuel from the oil of gladness which the 
little lawyer poured into his soul. It once more burnt up into 
a flame. 

Give physic to the heart, ye who would revive the body of a 
spirit-broken man ! In a few days Wolfert left his room ; in a 
few days more his table was covered with deeds, plans of streets, 
and building lots. Little Rollebuck was constantly with him, 
his right-hand man and adviser ; and instead of making his 
will, assisted in the more agreeable task of making his fortune. 
In fact Wolfert Webber was one of those worthy Dutch 
burghers of the Manhattoes whose fortunes have been made, in 
a manner, in spite of themselves ; who have tenaciously held 
on to their hereditary acres, raising turnips and cabbages about 
the skirts of the city, hardly able to make both ends meet, 
until the corporation has craelly driven streets through their 
abodes, and they have suddenly awakened out of their lethargy, 
and, to their astonishment, found themselves rich men. 

Before many months had elapsed, a great bustling street 
passed through the very centre of the Webber garden, just 
where Wolfert had dreamed of finding a treasure. His golden 
dream was accomplished ; he did indeed find an unlooked-for 
source of wealth ; for, when his paternal lands were distributed 
into building lots, and rented out to safe tenants, instead of 
producing a paltry crop of cabbages, they returned him an 
abundant crop of rents ; insomuch that on quarter-day, it was 
a goodly sight to see his tenants knocking at his door, from 
morning till night, each with a little round-bellied bag of 
money, a golden produce of the soil. 

The ancient mansion of his forefathers was still kept up ; but 



Jiaiotfcit Wiebbet. 215 



instead of being a little yellow-fronted Dutch house in a garden, 
it now stood boldly in the midst of a street, the grand house 
of the neighborhood ; for Wolfert enlarged it with a wing on 
each side, and a cupola or tea-room on top, where he might 
climb up and smoke his pipe in hot weather ; and in the course 
of time the whole mansion was overrun by the chubby-faced 
progeny of Amy Webber and Dirk Waldron. 

As Wolfert waxed old, and rich, and corpulent, he also set 
up a great gingerbread-colored carriage, drawn by a pair of 
black Flanders mares, with tails that swept the ground ; and 
to commemorate the origin of his greatness, he had for his 
crest, a full-blown cabbage painted on the panels, with the 
pithy motto SI lies lHopf, that is to say, all head ; meaning 
thereby that he had risen by sheer head-work. 

To fill the measure of his greatness, in the fulness of time 
the renowned Ramm Rapelye slept with his fathers, and 
Wolfert Webber succeeded to the leather-bottomed arm-chair, 
in the inn parlor at Corlaei^'s Hook ; where he long reigned 
greatly honored and respected, insomuch that he was never 
known to tell a story without its being believed, nor to utter a 
'oke without its being laughed at. 



THE END. 



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